Sophie Stafford - 8351

Evaluation

2011-12-12T14:54:00.003Z

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B75QgbHvt_c

Mrs d

2011-12-06T17:53:00.001Z

This looks like a good plan Sophie. Remember to not just cover technology at the construction phase, but also at r and p and evaluation.

1st Rough Draft of Evaluation

2011-12-05T14:33:00.010Z

This is a very rough draft of the layout of my presentation. I will be filming my evaluation and then using Final Cut Pro editing software to edit it. This powerpoint presentation is the rough layout out to what I will cover in each of my sections and what I want to cover and talk about...

Final Ancillary Poster + Digipak

2011-11-29T15:26:00.006Z

Final Music Promotional Video

2011-11-29T15:05:00.005Z

Natasha Bedingfield - 'The Scientist'

Mrs D

2011-11-23T12:30:00.002Z

This is coming together Sophie. The contrast of day and night and how this reflects time works well. There are still a few shots that are a little too dark and need to be crisper. You also would benefit from going back to your very impressive ancillaries and double check that you are creating a clear promotional package for your artist.

Draft 2 - Music Promo

2011-11-18T10:13:00.004Z

Mrs D

2011-11-18T09:39:00.002Z

This is a good start Sophie. You have some effective shots and use of black and white is effective. Think about how you can use transitions to enharnce the meaning of the narrative.

1st Draft of Music Promo

2011-11-18T09:36:00.003Z

Mrs D

2011-11-09T11:50:00.001Z

You have some good audience feedback here. Well done. Get some of the music promo up asap.

Problems with Filming

2011-11-08T15:15:00.004Z

Having had severe problems with actors not being available, I have had to post-pone my filming for a week which has caused problems as I wanted to film so that I could edit the majority of the music video. I have had to think about ways around this:

Idea: Change my lead actress for someone with more time.
Plus: Would be able to get filming done quicker and more efficently.
Consequence: Would have to re-shoot and re-edit what I have previously done which would take up more time.

Idea: Keep lead actress.
Plus: Wouldn't have to re-film and re-edit parts I had already done.
Consequence: Actress may not be able to do certain times.

I decided to keep the same actress for the rest of the filming, however have had problems since with that actres being unavailable.

Audience Response Album Advert

2011-11-08T15:12:00.005Z

Audience Response Back of Album Cover

2011-11-08T15:07:00.004Z

Audience Responses Album Cover

2011-11-08T15:02:00.004Z

Final Draft of Ancillary

2011-11-04T12:21:00.003Z

These are the pictures that I used for my final Digipak design. I have put the originals next to my edited copies. All of the pictures I used are linked to nature and the album title 'Traces Of Daylight' I wanted every picture to reflect this album title as, for example, they all include bursts of daylight within the picture, even the 3rd one done. I feel like it is an effective albun cover and links to my Music Video 'The Scientist' as both link in with the idea of nature being pure and feminine and how it reminds and provokes happy moments fo the singer. I did not want to include a picture of the artist on the cover as I felt that Natasha Bedingfield's music does not reflect this and I wanted it to be more of an Indie album rather than pop or RnB which typically have a picture of the artist on the front (e.g Rihanna 'Loud', Leona Lewis 'Echo', Taylor Swift 'Speak Now') I feel like my music video reflects my digipak and vice versa as both incorporate similar themes and both show feminine qualities and styles and represent relationships. I kept my colour scheme quite neutral so as it would again link into the Indie, feminine, natural look which is exactly what i wanted to portray.

Re-Draft, Back of Digipak...

2011-11-04T12:14:00.004Z

Final Album Cover + Album Magazine Advert

2011-11-04T09:34:00.003Z

Mrs D

2011-11-03T15:01:00.002Z

Well done Sophie. I think your magazine advert forfills the conventions much better than the previous draft. I look forward to seeing ALL 3 products together and some music promo soon.

Back of Digipak Draft 2...

2011-11-02T14:53:00.004Z

Re-Draft of Album Advert...

2011-11-02T13:27:00.007Z

Changing the Ancillary...

2011-11-02T12:20:00.004Z

I am going to change the album cover and experiment with previous album covers I had created. My personal favourite was the 2nd one in which was of a field with sunlight streaming onto it. I prefered this becasue of its simpleness and how it eminated a positive innocent vibe from its imagery and the fonts that I used. After asking a selection of people however, the one that I used for my 1st draft was the favourite however after reconsideration I have decided to change it as making the magazine advert also caused problems due to the image. It didn't bring across what I wanted to show about the artist and made them seem dreary and dull. Therefore I am goign to completley re-create my digipak and album advertisment.

I also need to focus on my main construction as I have been let down by my main actress due to other commitments. I am trying to re-schedule important filming that needs to be done and re-filming of sections that I have previously filmed but are not happy with. Depending on how filming goes and how it edits together, I may even have to change parts of the storyboard to incorporate a larger variety of camera angles in the music video. I also need to try out the re-wind to see if is actually going to be effective or not. If not then I shall have to re-write the ending and incorporate flashbacks as my plan B for the ending.

Mrs D

2011-11-02T12:10:00.002Z

This digipak is very impressive. Your integration of image, text and colour is excellent. You need to consider how you are representing your artist - all four pains together work really well. However, remember that the album front cover will be on the shelf on its own. Try and do a variety of covers and get some audience feedback.

1st Draft of Digipak...

2011-11-02T11:55:00.003Z

1st Draft of Ancillary Album Poster...

2011-11-02T11:36:00.002Z

1st Draft of Digipak...

2011-11-01T16:56:00.003Z

Here is the first draft of my digipak after much consideration as to which album cover to pick so that I could fit the imagery and colouring of the rest of the Digipak around the covers...

Creating the back of the Digipak...

2011-11-01T16:31:00.004Z

Ancillary Poster Drafts Development...

2011-11-01T15:16:00.009Z

Album Tracks...

2011-10-31T20:17:00.003Z

When deciding upon the album tracks for 'Traces Of Daylight' I looked into similar solo female artists and their track listings to gain insperation...

Leona Lewis 'Spirit': Adele '21':
1. Bleeding Love 1. Rolling in the deep
2.Whatever it takes 2. Rumour has it
3. Homeless 3. Turning tables
4. Yesturday 4. Don't you remember
5. Take a bow 5. Set fire to the rain
6. I will be 6. He won't go
7. Angel 7. Take it all
8. Here I am 8. I'll be waiting
9. I'm you 9. One and only
10. Lovesong
11. Someone like you

Pretty much every song on each album is about love which is what I obviously need to think about when creating track names for the album. I also want to link in with my albums cover theme of nature when thinking of song names and the album name 'Traces of Daylight'. The fifth track will be 'The Scientist' as many artists put one of thier singles as the fifth or third track on the album. I have come up with some ideas and decided to do 10 tracks for the album as this is an even number and will fit better on the back of the digipak symetry wise...

1. Back to you
2. Traces of Daylight
3. Forbidden love
4. Butterfly
5. The Scientist
6. Closed off
7. Broken
8. My love
9. Summer Boy
10. Captivated

Audience Response on Ancillary Album Cover...

2011-10-31T20:13:00.004Z

I am going to collect audience responses to my album cover artwork and see which of the 5 I did is the most popular and the one I will use as my cover...

Edited Covers...

2011-10-31T19:59:00.007Z

Picture Ideas for Album Cover

2011-10-31T17:29:00.006Z

Here are some shots I have taken that I am intending to use for my album cover and inside my digipak, I have decided to stick to the simple theme of nature and its ruralness and simple beauty that audiences can relate to but also making it look individual and eye catching at the same time ...

...They are also inspirational for the kind of image I want to portray of my artist, I'm going to edit these pictures so they look more retro and old and worn to fit into the idea of my artist seeming Indie and retro in their style...

1st Draft, Rough

2011-10-18T18:30:00.003+01:00

Vintage Video Insperation

2011-10-18T15:15:00.005+01:00

I love the vintage looking style, the increased brightness and the high contrast gives it a unique and interesting look, the main colours that stand out are the browns, yellows and oranges, all are pastally colours which will give the video an innocent look. These pictures are to show the sort of edited style in which my video will look. Especially the flashback scenes which will be in colour. I'm hoping to film the flashbacks when it is sunny so as I can use the sun to almost 'bleach' the shot and add the vintage look to it. I also want to use this sort of image for my digipak and base it on whitish pictures with white grain added to make it look more rural and old fashioned.

Dolby

2011-10-18T15:04:00.001+01:00

Good luck with the filming- don't forget to film extra footage so it makes the editing process easier.

Filming Schedule

2011-10-18T12:37:00.004+01:00

I plan on filming all scenes apart from the flashback scenes on Tuesday 18th October. Here is my schedule:

Scene 1, Sections 1-10 (Street) - 5:00 - 5:30
Scene 2, Sections 11-17 (Kitchen) - 5:30 - 5:45
Scene 3, Sections 18-24 (The Ridges) - 5:50 - 6:20

Equipment and props needed:
Camera
Coat
Kettle
Mug
Photo

Cast and crew needed for shots:
Lead female singer - Ella Freeman
Camera - Sophie Stafford
Director - Sophie Stafford

Mrs D

2011-10-17T10:42:00.001+01:00

The completed storyboard is very effective Sophie. Well done. I particularly like the use of the reverse zoom at the end and the dissolve. I look forward to seeing some rough cuts soon.

Digi Pak Idea Edit 4

2011-10-14T12:07:00.003+01:00

Here is another edit I tried, however I changed the colour to a pinkish tinge becasue I wanted to advertise more that the artist is very feminine and most of her songs are related to love. This is why I picked pink as pink is typically assoiated with love. Below is the picture I took when at the Ridges for my Mise en scene images of set that I used for this edit...

Animation 3rd Draft

2011-10-14T10:07:00.003+01:00

Mrs D

2011-10-14T09:23:00.002+01:00

This looks great Sophie. The quality and framing of the images are very impressive. Try and get some audience feedback to help you decide which one works the best. Be careful of the text bleeding off the page at the bottom of the last draft - it might need moving up a touch.

Digi Pak idea 3

2011-10-13T15:13:00.005+01:00

Here is another edit that I tried with the same sort of theme as the last one just I slightly different image and a more brown enriched colour scheme with beiges and light browns to make it seem more earthy and natural. Here is the original picture, again I took at the Ridges that I then edited.

Digi Pak Idea 2

2011-10-13T14:57:00.005+01:00

I tried a new kind of look for the album cover and changed the name so it could give me more scope for the albums image. I chose to use a forest scene and then edited it to have a 60's sepia look about it so that it looks interesting and eye catching. I also made the font look like handwritting as I feel this gives the album cover a more personal touch to it and doesn't look as clinical as if it had had a more straight and rigid font. I like the colour scheme and I think the image and the link to nature fits the artist's image well as it eccentuates the beauty around us but also with a vintage look about it to show the artist is a little different from other current artists. Here is the orignal image that I took of sunlight coming through trees at the Ridges that i edited for my album cover...

Mrs D

2011-10-13T14:32:00.002+01:00

This is a great draft and is very creative and innovative. However, be careful with what you are communicating to your audience. You have decided to take a narrative approach to your promo and this front cover suggests concept - therefore it creates confusion as a 'package'. You need to use the album cover to promote the artist and tracks and create an image that fits with both. Keep going, all these drafts look great.

Creating Digi Pak Covers

2011-10-12T17:14:00.004+01:00

Here is a first design of a Digi Pak cover for my artists new album cover. I was very much inspired by the confidential documents that were censored with black marker and took this idea and typed out the lyrics to the music video's song and then added the artists name and album cover name into the words. i then marker penned out the lyrics with some words more faded then others. I kept the artist name and album title unhighlighted to obviously make it obvious as to what they are. I like the look of this is mysterious and engaging. It is also unusual looking which I like very much. Its not like other typical album covers from this genre as it doesn't have an image of the artist on it. I do also want to try a cover with the artist on it, but for now focused on meaning and a different look.

Digi Pak Cover Inspiration

2011-10-12T12:22:00.005+01:00

Here are some examples of album covers that I personally like. I picked my favourite ones to give me inspiration for creating one for my ancillary task. I love the bright colours used in most of them and the graphic computer animated designs, however I don't think this fits in with the style of the album that I am designing for. The artists song are more soft and meaningful than bouncey and loud like for exmaple Mika. Therefore I think I will try to incorporate an image of the artist on the cover like the Delta Goodren and Marina and the Diamonds album covers. I want to communicate the types of songs on the album through the albums imagery.

I have had an idea for my album cover coming off the idea of the title of the song 'The Scientist' I looked into the look of confidential and censored documents and thought of using this sort of imagery for the cover as its different and interesting. Here are some images that I have looked at for inspiration...

Ancillary Task Fonts

2011-10-11T15:03:00.006+01:00

Here are some examples of different fonts I have taken into consideration for my CD cover for the song title and the artists name. The fonts I have highlighted in pink are my personal favourites. They all have scruffy looking lettering and that also looks like hand writing and it is this style that is my particular favourite for the image of my artist...

Mrs D

2011-10-06T12:15:00.002+01:00

This is a much better draft Sophie - although you still haven't included all the shots - what about the rewind sequence? The pace works well and the fades to white are really effective. Try not to overuse the zoom - think about other movement options like tracking, tilt etc. Get a final draft up soon.

2nd Draft of Animation

2011-10-06T10:58:00.004+01:00

This is my 2nd draft of my animation that I have improved by adding to the different camera angles and slightly changed the storyline to make it seem more interesting. However the program I used (Windows Movie Maker) to create my animation, would not let me rewind the section of the video I wanted to, so therefore I have written in where the re-wind would be to just show the audience where it would be in the video.

Effects in Editing of Music Video

2011-10-05T13:27:00.004+01:00

In my music video I want to decrease the exposure in all of the scenes except for the flashback scenes. This will make the video look darker and more univiting and unhappy. I want the audience to feel sympathy for the singer and feel an uncomfotable atomosphere in the video and that the mood is dark and upsetting rather than happy and bouncy. I also want to make these scenes greyscale so that it again links in with the mood of depression and upset and makes it seem like her life is stuck in a rutt and everything is pear shape and not natural.

For the flashback scenes I want to increase the exposure and use an 'film old age' option which will add film grain and marks to the flashback shots to give the effect that it is old footage and to illustrate that it is from a moment in past. I also want to have fade ins and outs to white to again add to the age of the footage and make it seem more angelic and innocent.

The end of the video will also fade out to white to add to the idea that the lead singer is stuck in a nightmare/dream state and to also end on a semi positve note rather than just fadeing out to black.

Mrs D

2011-10-05T11:42:00.002+01:00

Your ideas regarding your ancillary are looking great. Your draft of your storyboard needs to show all shots and effects so that we can provide proper feedback. It seems to fit the tone of the track and you have good ideas regarding effects like the rewind etc. You need to go back and have a look at level 4 criteria and check that you have a range of camera shots. Put a second draft up asap.

Practise Digipak Ideas

2011-10-04T15:13:00.006+01:00

Animation Storyboard Draft 1

2011-10-04T10:43:00.005+01:00

Here is the 1st draft of my storyboard animation for my music video...

Casting & Filming Info

2011-09-28T11:36:00.007+01:00

Cast & Crew:
Female singer - Ella Freeman
Male love interest (Jack) -

Camera - Me, Ashy Higgs
Director - Me
Co-Director - Natalie Rance
Crew - Ashy Higgs, Milly Mittens
MES - Leah Hanmore
Creative Assistant - Ashy Higgs

Dolby

2011-09-27T17:42:00.000+01:00

Some detailed ideas here, well done. I would now consider casting and possibly think of organising a filming schedule.

Timings

2011-09-26T17:50:00.011+01:00

0:24 - 1:00 - Street Scene
1:00 - 1:10 - Flashback
1:11 - 1:23 - Kitchen back view
1:23 - 1:29 - Kitchen table view
1:29 - 1:41 - Lounge sofa view
1:41 - 1:47 - Close-up sofa view
1:47 - 1:53 - Flashback
1:53 - 2:03 - Bedroom view
2:03 - 2:09 - Bedroom back view
2:09 - 2:25 - Window
2:25 - 2:36 - Flashback
2:36 - 2:42 - Car close-up
2:42 - 2:49 - Passanger seat view
2:49 - 2:54 - Closing car door
2:54 - 3:06 - Walking down road
3:06 - 3:11 - Close-up tilt down shot
3:06 - 4:32 - Re-wind action

Letters of acceptance

2011-09-26T17:50:00.010+01:00

Monday 26th September 2011

Dear Coldplay/EMI Producers,

I am currently studying Media Studies for my A2’s and we are currently working on producing a music videos as part of our coursework on the Music Industry. Our main task is to physically make a video for a song of our choice. I have chosen Coldplay’s ‘The Scientist’ but the cover by Natasha Bedingfield that she performed for the BBC Live Lounge. I have many ideas for the song and putting it into a video. It would be solely used only for the purpose of my coursework as part of my overall A Level grade and therefore I ask for your permission to use the song only for this purpose in helping me to achieve my A grade as I do not want to break the copyright rules for this song. Thank you very much for your time,

Yours Sincerely

Sophie Stafford
Edgbarrow School

Here is a copy of the letter that I e-mailed to Coldplay/EMI requesting permission to use Coldplay's song 'The Scientist' but instead of being performed by Coldplay, the Natasha Bedingfield cover instead.

Wednesday 28th September 2011

Dear Wellington College,

I am currently studying media studies my A Levels and as part of my coursework which is half of my overall mark, we have to create a music video to an un-released song with no existing music video. I was hoping that I could gain your permission to film on the grounds by the railway track and Simons forest for a few scenes in the video. It would really benefit me and my video as it is the perfect location for the scenes in which I want to film there. I would ruin the grounds and just simply need its peaceful scenery for the certain scenes I would do here. Thank you for considering my letter, if you have any more enquiries please contact me on...

Thanks again for your time,

Sophie Stafford

Edgbarrow School

Here is the letter I sent to Wellingotn College to seek permission to use some of their grounds for my music video. The scenes in question are the main bulk of the flashback scenes.

Storyboard & Ancillary Ideas

2011-09-26T17:49:00.006+01:00

Ancillary Ideas

Here are some tester album covers I have worked on just to look more into layout, colours, themes that fit in with the song and the meaning I am bringing aross to the audience. When working on them I definitly decided that i did not want to use the scientific theme that I tried in the first tester album cover I did below. The second I rather like as it's simple and I like the contrast between the black hands and the bright background with the rain drops. I used white, Tropicali Script BTN Bamboo font for 'The Scientist' and a rich dark pink, Times New Roman for 'Natasha Bedingfield'. I think these colours work quite well. I debated whether or not to use a green colour instead of pink, but chose pink as I thought it represeted the singers feminimity better and the fact that the song is about love and a relationship. The next two are very plain very simple, I prefered the 1st plain one to the second but I dislike them as they do not sell the song very well and are too plain and boring. they are not eye catching or different. The next two I also like very much expecially the last one. The angle of the girl holding the flowers works well with where I placed the text. I used the same colours as I did in the hands album cover but the 'Natasha Bedingfield' title is in Orator Std for both. I prefer this font to the Times New Roman as the letter are a little more spaced apart from one another which I rather like. I also like the idea of having a silhouetted figure walking away from the shot as it does not define a particular person and is quite mysterious and engaging.

MES choices/ideas

2011-09-26T16:36:00.012+01:00

Singers house - My house
The reason why I picked my own house is becasue it provides the perfect set for my video and it also has easy access for its usage. It also means I do not have to wait for filming consent to begin filming. It also means it is simple to set up and I have everything I need around me for filming and directing.

Woods/Forest - The Ridges
This set will be used for some of the flashback scenes as there will be chops and edits of the singer and 'Jack' together when they were happy. I will have to shoot these scenes when it is good weather outside and sunny to bring across to the audience the positive happy atmosphere. There is also a bench there which is perfect for theflashback scenes when the lovers are sitting together and then
again when the singer is on her own. I am planning on using two sepearte days to do the flashback scene (Hopefully when the weather is good to emphasis the 'love' and happiness of the lovers and then on a cloudy or gey skied day to show the loss and upset)

Street - Wellington College & Station end of High Street & Ravenswood Avenue
I picked Wellington College for one of the flashback scenes as it is quiet and reclusive. It is also a very pretty road with rows of trees either side of the road and it is also behind the main college in the public areas which are just owned by the school. This means it will be the perfect place to film a happy 'love' scene as it is very picturesque and is a good display of the English countryside. I will use the High street near the station for the first street scene as it has shops on its left hand side and a road on the right which makes it quite rural and perfect for the scene that I want to shoot here. For the second street scene I needed somewhere more private and rural down a rougher road with pot holes and more rustic to add to the singers emotion. This is why Ravenswood avenue is perfect for this scene. It is a rough, country like road which is very quiet and therefore there won't be many people walking down it which makes it ideal for the lonely walk scene as she walks towards the graveyard.

Open Space/Meadow - The Ridges - Wellingtonia Avenue
This will be used for the Flashbacks and is a perfect place to film another 'love' scene as it is a pretty, open place with woods surrounding it making it look natural and wild. The only problems we may encounter are that it is a public area and therefore there will be many people out for walks, also dogs which are uncontrollable and may run into the scene or shot. However this just means that we may have to re-take the shot a couple of times to make it perfect for its purpose.

(I am currently in the process of taking pictures as samples for the set ideas and choosing suitable locations for each part of the video)

Costumes:
Female singer - (Non Flashback scenes) - Denim dark wash jeans, black coat, grey jumper, white tank top, long hair worn down, white socks, black boots.

Female singer - (Flashback scenes) - Floral dress, brown sandals, plait on right hand side of hair worn down.

Male 'Jack' - (Flashback scenes) - whitet-shirt - red or blue checked shirt - blue wash denim jeans trainers

(Pictures of costume will be uploaded soon)

Pitch the Song Choice

2011-09-26T16:35:00.012+01:00

I have decided to focus on my third song choice which is a cover of 'the Scientist' by Natasha Bedingfield, originally written and performed by Coldplay, this cover of the song is slower and I think more intimate as it sounds more delictae and fragile which links in with my ideas of a severe loss of love in some way.

I decided to listen to the song and write down anything that came to mind when I listened to it as a starting place to really think about what the song brings across, this is what I wrote:

Sunshine, flashbacks, slow motion, brightness increase on 'good times/beginning', flowers, fields, Hippy, bright colours, love, notes, letters, pictures, spinning camera effect, letting go, walking down a street alone, go to dull colours, re-winding to start getting faster and faster, complex storyline/plot, death?, science intigrated, screwed up paper with messages, singing to camera, running to a 'significant place' but its empty, Emptyness, desperation, beach scene, 3:05 properly re-run to start of relationship, walking in black clothing, searching, contrast between happiness and sadness, hunting trying to find him, lost, wanted posters, 'have you seen this...', upset, hurt.

From this list of things I came up with 3 ideas for the narrative of the songs storyline.
1) A simple, typical couple break up. Flashbacks to happier times in fields, alone together, meeting places and the 'good times', however ended for some reason that doesn't necessarily have to be covered in the video, has a lot of singing to the camera about the girls feelings and how she wants to return to the beginning of the relationship. Eventually the video will re-wind to the very beginning of the relationship and it is perhaps played in fast motion from there or just stops at the beginning so it ends on a positive note.

2) First appearences makes the audience think the couple had a bad break up with the girl in pieces over it. However by the end realises the lover has been killed or died and so that is the reason she wants to return to the start. I have ideas of the singer walking down a deserted street, dressed in a black coat and it maybe raining also in slow motion to make it more atmospheric and upsetting. Then when she reaches the end of her journey she's in a grave yard or on the beach laying a flower on a grave or in the sea, (Beach scene would depend on whether or not I could arrange to get to a beach and film on an appropriate day) Then at 3:05 the story re-winds through her buying the flowers, through her getting ready to leave her house, through the mourning and takes her back to the start of her nightmare just before he dies or right back to when they were happy. This may have to happen sooner than 3:05 to fit it in.

3) My last idea is that the singer has lost her lover, in the sense that she is searching for him and wants to return to the start when she had him. It will see the singer move through different scenes which once meant something to the couple and when she comes to them it flashes back to what happened there and then fades out to it being empty and no sign of him. Her journey takes her to all sorts of places searching for him. There are shots of her wondering aimlessly around, spinning and then looks through pictures of film footage of when they were together and then is played as a full screen on the video. Perhaps she looses him through a game of blind mans buff as he dispappears, this would mean that the video could have odd themes attached to it linking in with un natralistic sets and odd and Indie like outifts which are more symbolic than practical.

Here are the lyrics to the song:
Come up to meet you, Slow mo. if possible
Tell you I'm sorry walk down street looking around
You don't know how lovely you are
I had to find you,
Tell you I need you Camera straight on
And tell you I set you apart
Tell me your secrets,
And ask me your questions Look at Camera
Oh let's go back to the start Fade off to sky

Running in circles, Coming up tails
Heads on a silence apart Flashback to relationships

Nobody said it was easy
It's such a shame for us to part At home, cup of tea, box of clothes, watching tv
Nobody said it was easy
No one ever said it would be this hard Alone on sofa
Oh take me back to the start Fade to black object
take me back to the start Fade up to flashback

I was just guessing
at numbers and figures Sorting through things
Pulling the puzzles apart
Questions of science, science and progress
Do not speak as loud as my heart Emotional
And tell me you love me,
Come back and hold me
Oh and I rush to the start

Running in circles, Chasing tails flashback - Something to do with flowers
Coming back as we are

Nobody said it was easy In car or train?
it's such a shame for us to part In the dark walking down?
Nobody said it was easy Street to grave
No one ever said it would be this hard Street

I'm going back to the start
I’m going back to you
Take me back x2 Massive re-wind through events of past few days
Take me back to you
Take me back to
Aah oooh ooh ooh ooh ooh (x4) Eventually back with him

Timeline of places:

Street -- FLASHBACK -- House -- FLASHBACK -- Rooms -- Window -- FLASHBACK -- Car -- Street -- Grave -- RE-WIND

Mrs D

2011-09-22T15:06:00.002+01:00

I think you have some great options here. I like the idea with the first one, but you will need to be careful as it could potentially look a little 'cheesy'. The second option is a good song, but you may struggle to access the level 4 criteria with that. The Scientist is a very recognisable song and you would also need permission from Coldplay, but the idea of the rewind could be interesting. You could ask your target audience for some feedback to help you make the best decision.

Ideas and Proposal

2011-09-22T14:28:00.008+01:00

When deciding on a song for my Alternative/Indie music video I wanted to explore more emotional and thought provoking songs that I could do more with and that when i listened to, I could see exactly what I would want to do with the song. I was certain that I wanted to use a female artists song rather than a band or a male. This is because more can be done with costume and mise en scene typically with a girl rather than a boy.

The first song I looked into doing was Marina and the Diamonds - Guilty, the song contains quite dark lyrics which makes it quite sinister but interesting. My initial idea was to focus on the main singer running away from something, some sort of crime that they had committed without the audience actually knowing what the crime was. Then I started thinking about involving well known cultural characters from other famous movies and stories such as Alice in Wonderland, Cinderella and other characters such as them as they are innocent and I would take that and twist it so they are guilty of something, for example Alice could be guilty of running away to wonderland and is stuck there and things like that to make the music video seem more interesting and different from others.

The second song I looked at was Jamelia's cover of Numb originally by Linkin Park, it is much softer and slower than the original but I liked the lyrics and the music in it. I had less ideas for it though than I did for the others so this is my least favourite one. My initial idea was for the main singer to be walking down an urban street singing the song and then having scene of the past flash through the song. Unfortunatly I like the song and can't really find anything original to do with it or enough to challenge myself with. Also the fact that it is also a live recording so it would have to be perhaps set up as a live performance peice rather than narrative so that the sound would fit the video.

The last song is one of my favourites to think about working on and its a cover by Natasha Bedingfield of 'The Scientist' orignially by Coldplay. I love this song because of its simplicity and the way in which the music compliments the lyrics. I love the storyline in the song and it has really inspired me and given me loads of ideas even when I first listened to it which I think is important when choosing a song to make into a music video. I have many ideas and want to try using a re-wind technique as one of the lyrics is 'Take me back to the start' which makes me want to try to re-wind the storyline of the song back to the beginning. I also have ideas for ways in which I want to edit my clips and different contrasts and brightness techniques I want to use for it. I would also like to use an old fashioned film grain on flash backs to make it seem older and let the audience clearly know it is a flashback rather than being part of the current storyline/plot. The only down side the this song is that it is just another song about love which automatically imposes the idea of themes of love and then a brake up which has been done through music video many times before. I thought, instead of a brake up, perhaps the lover has died however this may seem a bit drastic for a soft sounding song.

Dolby

2011-09-17T17:37:00.001+01:00

Some interesting comments on the Kaiser Chiefs video and detailed re: the narrative and the themes; you do mention some technical aspects but don't forget it as a promotional tool so look at how the band is represented through close-ups and be technical in analysing the editing techniques.

How My Research Will Inform Planning

2011-09-16T12:26:00.003+01:00

My research will inform and help my planning as my questionnaires have provided me with more ideas and thoughts on how to present my Alternative/Indie music video and the ancillery tasks. It has especially helped my thoughts and decision process on which song to pick for my main construction, it has also shown me what my target audience wants and recognises in the particular genre I am focusing on. Because of my questionnaires I am confident I can start to produce successful ideas and plan extensivley in preperation for the main construction.

My real media artefacts have meant that I have been able to look into already existing Indie artists videos and analyse what they have done to create a successful video. I looked into Kaiser Chiefs 'Never Miss A Beat' which has really inspired me to think outside the box for my planning and twist things so they are not as they seem. Florence and the Machine's video 'Rabbit Heart (Raise it up) has shown me how imagery is important to fit in with the song itself and the lyrics as well as creating the artists image that should also match the song and voice. Because of this video I will look in depth at visuals matching lyrics and mise en scene. Coldplays 'Violet Hill' was the most interesting as it contained a war theme which was about the French Revolution which fits in with the artists image for their album 'Viva La Vida', I've also learnt about how Indie videos can mix all three factors: Narrative, performance and concept into one to make an interesting and unique video. For me, the use of aging effects on 'Violet Hill' makes the song seem more emotional and in a way strengthens it, this is very effective and the imagery and quick choppy edits make it intersting and fit with the beats in the music which is something I would like to try to incorporate into my own music video.

Overall my research has proved very useful to inform and aid me in my planning. It has given me many ideas and made me think a lot more about what I should include to keep in traditions with this genre of music.

Product Placement

2011-09-16T11:43:00.003+01:00

I would place my music video on the artists Vevo account on Youtube so that my target audience could access it for free and watch it which would generate interest and promote the song through watching the video. It can also be easily shared through socializing sites such as Facebook and Twitter which will again help to promote the song as the audience will share it with friends and family. I would also advertise the music video on the singer’s official website to again generate interest and promote it to supporters and fans.

I would also expect to show the video on music channels. At first my music video would probably be shown on music channels such as MTV Rocks, VH1, Kerrang! And NME TV as these channels provides music videos by artists of the same kind of genre as mine. This would also mean that my video is shown to a niche market at first which would categorize it and generate interest from audiences that perhaps had never heard of the singer but of the music channels genre of music. Then from the songs radio airplay and hopeful increasing popularity through audiences watching these channels and searching for the music video via the internet, there will be a higher demand for the video and it will be re-categorized into main stream music from its original genre meaning that it’ll be played on chart show music channels such as MTV Music, MTV Hits, Viva, 4Music, Smash Hits, Q, Chart Show TV and The Vault. This will increase the promotion of the song and its popularity meaning it will hit the charts through the use of its music video.

I would also make the music video available for purchase on iTunes so that fans of the video can buy it which again creates more profit and is another form of promotion. I would sell the video for £1.99 which is similar to other music videos of its genre. However selling this video will be largely dependent on its success in the charts and whether or not the audience like it enough to purchase it.

Also, one of the most powerful forms of promotion would be word of mouth from person to person and generating interest through the use of such sights as Youtube. All of the above stated formats in which I would want my video to be promoted on will rely on my target audience and them spreading on the news about my music video so it makes others watch it and increases its popularity overall, promoting the song and generating money.

Real Media Artefact

2011-09-16T11:41:00.008+01:00

Coldplay - Violet Hill

The music video for this song matches the mood and tempo of the music and therefore creates an overall relaxed and atmospheric feeling to the video. The music video can be seen as perhaps a performance type video as there are many shots of the band performing and Chris Martin (Lead vocalist) singing throughout the video, however there is a narrative type feel also as the band are dressed in French Revolutionary military uniform which makes the video seem as though it is set during 18th century, the setting also shows this.

There are 2 main sets used, the first seen is a mountain side/top and the second as old 18th century manor house with a foreign aspect to it rather than British due to the type of materials used to make the house and the arcitecture. Both are very rural looking, which makes the music video as a whole seem rough and gritty. This interesting idea of linking their song's video with the bands image for the album 'Viva La Vida' catogorizes and identifies them all with that album as Coldplay have released many albums now and therefore involving the same theme in all of the them is a clever way of not only marketing the album and promoting it, but also linking all of the songs to that particular albuma and generating interest. As you can see through these three pictures the band always sticks with a French Revolutionary theme in their mise en scene for all of their videos on the 'Viva La Vida' album.

The shots taken of the band while on the mountain are edited to make it look as though a 60’s type camera was used as the colouring has a slight purple, pink, yellowish tinge to it. Also The exposure isn’t very good as the figures seem quite dark when walking over the mountain, again creating the illusion it was filmed on an older piece of recording equipment. Throught the video a high contrast is used to which makes the darker colours darker and sharper because of this. This again links in with the gritty rough look of the video and how it makes the narrative seem darker and more forbidding.

There are some conceptual type parts in the video also especially when Chris Martin is singing through a magnifying glass, perhaps represents how he wants his voice to be heard and what he is saying to be realised. The director also uses the music to shape certain scenes in the video such as when the beat depicts when the various members of Colplay appear and then seem to disappear when their standing outside of the French house. Tis is effective as it is clever and interesting to watch. It is links in with the idea of war as one minute their there, the next, their not which could represent life and death. The song is quite emotional and seems to be singing about a lover, however she is never involved in the actual video which makes it seem more masculine and haunting.

Overall the music video is very effective in promoting the song as it uses interesting editing techniques such as re-colouring and shot takes and greyscale to shape it into a more masculine, haunting and gritty music video centered around the idea of the French Revolution.

Real Media Artefact

2011-09-16T11:39:00.008+01:00

Florence and the Machine - Rabbit Heart Raise It Up

Florence and the machines music video is a brilliant example of an Alternative/Indie music video. It contains a story (Narrative) which seems to either been inspired by the poem, 'The Lady of Sharlott' or Mannet's painting of Orphilia floating in a stream. The music video is very bright and confusing at times. Many arty techniques are used to identify the artist and therfore can be branded as the artists particular style. These include Florence's different outfits, setting of the video, even the way in which it was edited with increased brightnes. The video is very delicate and compliments the song well which makes it an even better promotional tool for the target audiences. It also makes Florence stand out as the narrative is unusually and cultural which audiences may be interested by. This shows that the director has a good instinct for what he wants in their music video to make it a promotional success to advertise the band and more importantly, the song.

There are more performance shots that are linked in with the narrative. All of the costumes are flowing and of bright colours perhaps to represent innocence and purity which fits in with the songs meaning and the narrative of the video. Florence is made to seem very angelic and using an almost perhaps fantastical set and mise en scene emphasises this. This image of the artist links in with their actual public image which means that they stand out from other Alternative/Indie artists to audiences just as Lady Gaga stands out in the pop scene.

There is a slight blur used to again make the video seem dated, mystifying and enchanting. The colours throughout the whole video have been edited so as there is a higher yellowish tinge to it which seperates it from reality and distances the audience from Florences 'dream like world', this makes the video seem more interesting as the audience are detached from the set and are watching a fairy like scene.

The actors in the video are very remenisant of hippies in their movements and costume. This again links in with the fantastical and mystifying element to the video, the director wanted to portray love, peace and purity through the use of the hippy stylized mise en scene involved in this video. All of the actors have light coloured hair which again links in with the idea of purity and innocence.

Because of the haunting song, the video also had to seem perhaps ghost like and in a way odd. I think the director has captured the song well and used the music to influence decisions on events in the video. For example at the end when they pull up the table to make a coffin around Florence, they way in which they thrust up the sides fits in with the beat fo the music and makes it seem professional and interesting.

Overall the video is very fantastical and atomospheric and the themes of purity and innocence that come across in song are reflected on Florence as a person.

Marina and The Diamonds Album Cover Analysis:

Real Media Artefact

2011-09-16T11:35:00.007+01:00

Kaiser Chiefs - Never Miss A Beat

The Kaiser Chiefs song, ‘Never Miss a Best’ set in a Council estate displays teenage revolt and youth rebellion which links in with the idea of the song, and how kids are always on the mark, and ‘Never miss a beat’. It shows young kids in different gangs but is soften by the use of masks and face paints that make it unrealistic as one gang wears animal masks, another has black and white face paint and another wear what appears to be cardboard tubs on their heads. It makes it seem quite comical but threatening at the same time as the audience cannot see the children’s faces so they are dehumanised and have no facial recognition, making them all look roughly the same apart from their builds and clothing. The continual shots of the different gangs running from one place to another makes the song seem chaotic and fast pace again linking in with the song and the idea of youth rebellion. Also to make it softer and not a video on actual youths fighting and attacking each other, the audience never sees the gangs clash or fight, even at the end when they come together they join together and merge into a large dance group rather than resorting to violence. This may be because the director wanted to twist the audiences idea of the youth of today from rebellious outlaws to actually the fact that their just kids, and they aren’t actually doing anything wrong.

Although the video is predominantly narrative based, there are performance sections as well when the band are playing in the small room they are in while the youths revolt outside. So this shows a storyline that the band are involved in as they are kept inside for fear of venturing outside due to the youths but also the fact that they are also performing, promotes the band as the audience can see them playing and shows the bands identity. The storyline keeps the video interesting as it is unusual instead of just having a performance based video of the band. It also makes the band memorable as their video involves an unusually concept about youths and children. Also having the lead singer as a news reporter on a small TV screen again generates interest as Ricky Wilson is acting within the music video as well as also being himself and singing with the rest of the band. It also makes the music video a little comical and quirky introducing the band members into acting roles. One of the band members plays a housewife looking disgustedly out of a council flat window, another plays a police officer chased by one of the gangs, another acts as a man fishing who is caught in another gangs rampage and the last member of the band is a jogger again being chased by a mob. Not only is it comical to see the band members dressed up, but it also incorporates them more into the storyline of the music video rather than keeping the narrative and performance separate to one another.

From a filming and editing point of view, the video contains a lot of short takes and jump cuts to keep the tempo quick and speedy, making the action seem energetic and in turn the song exciting. Most of the gangs and mobs are filmed in slow motion a lot of the time, to possibly create suspense and create an intimidating view on them as they are supposed to seem threatening. The slow motion shot of them running also fulfils this and makes it seem like high action and scary as the audience don’t altogether understand what is happening. A point of view shot is used in the way of a security camera and again re-instates the sense of intimidation and confusion making the gangs again seem threatening. The camera also zooms in and out on certain subjects to normally give the audience the full picture of what is happening, for example when the shopkeeper turns his open sign round to closed the camera goes from a close-up to a long shot to show the gang running past his shot and adding to the storyline of how the gangs are feared, hence the shopkeeper closing. The whole video has a slight yellowish tinge to it which makes it seem a little retro and dated even though it perhaps isn’t. Tracking is also used to look arounf the council estate at the gangs rampage and movements. The song matches the visuals in some places which again attaches the song to the video making more of a narrative based video than anything else. It also promotes the song as the audience can see visuals of what the lyrics are representing and the meaning behind them. The dance routine at the end matches with the music being played over the top and again is interesting to watch rather than just watching the band perform.

I think this video promotes the song well as it has an interesting storyline that matches the lyrics and the songs idea of youth rebellion and gangs and mobs. The visuals are creative and the idea of having mobs of children hidden behind masks and face paints is quite original. The idea of setting the video in East London in Council flats again mixes well with the bands image and completes the audiences expectations from a Indie/Alternative video as it is quite rural, loud and energetic.

Focus Group

2011-09-16T10:06:00.008+01:00

I asked 5 different people, 3 girls and 2 boys between the ages of 16-18, what they thought of Kasabian's music video 'Empire'. I wanted to inquire into what other people thought about this Indie/Alternative bands video and whether it was effective in promoting them as a band and also the song, 'Empire' itself. I created a questionnaire for them to answer about what they thought of the music video including questions about Mise en Scene and the narrative e.t.c. Here is the questionnaire they answered:

1) Why do you think they used the Napolionic wars as their theme?
2) What do you think of the narrative/Story?
3) Does the action and visuals match the music and lyrics?
4) Do you think costume and setting is appropriate?
5) What do you think the message of the video is?
6) Do you think the video promotes the band well and why?
7) Do you think the video goes with the bands image?
8) Do you think the idea is original and state why?
9) What would you rate it out of 10?
10) Did you like the video and why? Or why not?

After having watched the music video these were their responses to it:

Mrs D

2011-09-16T10:05:00.000+01:00

This looks good Sophie. Do you need to explain what a digi pack is? You have quite a lot of closed questions re the ancillary tasks. As long as you are fine with this, then I would say you are ready to get copies and start giving them out.

2nd Draft of Ancillary Task Questionnaire & Results

2011-09-15T15:01:00.012+01:00

RESULTS TABLE & GRAPHS

CD DIGI PACK

According to my results, my target audience would prefer to have an image of the band in the albums digi pack over anything else. This is closley followed by arty illustrations and then by graphic designs and photos relating to the song/band. I will therefore make sure that the image of the band is the most striking and largest feature in the digi pack.

Here, my results show that the participants would prefer to see lyrics and pictures over eveyrthing else suggested in a digi pack. This means that for my digi pack I must include these things above anything else I do. Also as the other suggestions are not as popular as pictures and lyrics.

Here all participants of the questionnaire seemed to prefer a higher ratio of artist imagery over text. This means that I will include many images of the artist to comply with this result and fulfill my target audiences wants.

When asked about colour schemes that are typically associated, used or expected of an Alternative/Indie band, the 3 most popular were black, white and red. This is probably becasue of the conotations that are linked with these colours and stereotypically are identified with the Alternative/Indie genre.

MAGAZINE ALBUM ADVERTISMENT POSTER

1) This table of results shows that participants would expect to see much more imagery of the band over any other suggestion on an Alternative/Indie artists magazine album advert. I will also include info on the album, website details and tour dates as these ideas also proved quite popular. This has helped me greatly in understanding what I need in my magazine advert.

2) This questions results has also shown me what has proved most popular to be known about an artists new album. The most popular being the release date, closely followed by a picture of the album and album ratings from independant institutions.

Q3) These results show that the colour scheme for the magazine advert should include black, red, grey and white at least as these are most popular. I will try to aim to used them in my advert if it matches with the artists own colour scheme. This question was based on the stereotypical idea of which colours are expected to be used for an Alternative/Indie magazine advert to promote an artist.

4) As we can see from these results, the participants seem to all prefer to see a higher ratio of pictures over text. This means that my magazine advert promoting the artists new album, will, primarily, contain more pictures than it does text.

Music Video Questionnaire & Results

2011-09-15T15:00:00.011+01:00

RESULTS TABLE & GRAPHS:

Here are my results for the first question, asking the participant the kind of music they listen to. The most popular is Alternative/Indie which shows it to be the best choice for a music video. This will mean that it will hopefully be more popular as it has a higher demand than the other genres.

Q4
This pie chart shows that within an Indie/Alternative mucis video, the audience would expect to see the band in the video the most and instruments and men and women second to that. This means that in my video I should try to include these things to satisfy my target audience and produce what they would like to see due to what they would expect to see.

As this graph clearly shows, my target audience would prefer to see a Narrative based Alternative/inde music video with perhaps some performance based parts. This means that my music video should contain mainly narrative scenes winthin it. I will also intersperse some performance shots of the band to create a happy medium.

1st Draft of Music Video and Ancillary Task Questionnaire

2011-09-15T14:45:00.004+01:00

2011-09-15T14:35:00.001+01:00