Band tracklist and other details

So during a group meeting/ brainstorm we finally compiled a list of song names which we thought would suit our chosen song, as well as the codes and conventions of our genre, indie rock. After looking at a variety of different albums from all different genres all song titles usually have a lyrical link with the song it self, highlighting key words or highlighting an emotion.

The song in which we will be creating a video we thought we could maybe use STATIC as a title. When discussing what we thought of describing words when thinking of the song we all thought of 'STATIC' mainly due to the repetition of the term throughout the song. We liked the idea of a band starting with 'the' so we started throwing around a few ideas, ending up with 'The Sound'.

The rest of the track titles we came up with are:

1)Indecisive
2) The Chill
3) Liverpool St.
4) 1997
5) Broken Glass
6) Stripped Down
7) Fiction
8) Opium
9) Mr.
10) Bait
11) Euphoria
12) Wanderlust
13) Salted Wounds

This isn't final yet however it will only slightly vary in my final digipak.

Asking Permission

So as we have started filming and have decided to stick to this song we emailed to ask permission. This is the email and we are still waiting for a response.

Filming Day One - Performance Scenes

Day One of filming. We filmed our artist sing the lyrics in different shots for our performance element for the music video. We filmed in our schools drama studio. Before going we thought we wee going to have the artist singing into a mic on a stage mirroring a gig or concert, like there was an audience, however on the day after setting the stage we didn't like the set and decided that it wont look as nice instead we decided to have to main focus on the singing and artist though having a dark set and a spot light. Here are a few photos I took on set. 

Animatic of storyboard

Performance Element

A  common feature of the indie genre is performance, majority of music video including footage from gigs and performances that they have done already. This is due to the fact that the fans of bands usually enjoy the band playing there instruments as they are perceived has 'doing it for the music', and 'appreciating the instrument' cresting the main focus on the music and the performance. For our video due to lack if funds and also thousands of adoring fans to fill out an arena, wanting to include this element of the genre we would like to recreate a stage performance for different parts of the song breaking it up with a narrative.  Examples of this can be Arctic Monkey's music video Arabella and Adelle's Rolling in The Deep.

Instagram location Inspiration

Living in london we are very fortunate to live in a city full of culture and expression of art. A common form in which art is expressed widely to the public is through the median of street art. After one of my friends uploaded a photo to instragram I a fell in love with the shot of included street art in our music video. We thought of having our artist in front of street art and have jolty shots, switching from full lengths shots paired with mid to close ups, edited to the beat of the song.

The instagram photograph, taken at Leake Street Tunnel, London.

Codes and Conventions of Rock/Indie Genre

Arctic Monkeys – 'I Bet You Look Good On The Dance Floor'

• A ruff look from the artist. 

• Casual clothes, nothing that will draw away from the music.

• Performance elements. 

• Musical instruments highlighted through close ups. 

• Low key lighting/ shadows.

• Limited movement from the artist.

The codes and conventions of the Indie genre are followed to the audience’s expectations throughout Arctic Monkey's music video 'I Bet You Look Good On The Dance Floor'. The band are dressed in neutral coloured casual clothing (jeans and polo shirts), they following the ruff look through opposing that clear cut look, havig scruffy hairstyles. This supports the relaxed and laid back image of stereotypical Indie bands seen today. The Arctic Monkeys are all playing instruments in this video as well, with a drummer that has the band’s logo on the bass drum (Voyeurism). There is also use of coloured lighting, which could be seen as something unconventional for Indie bands, however in general the setting which the band is in is dark and ‘moody’ with lots of shadows cast onto the bands faces.

The Bands music video:

A Change of Plans

After filming for the song 'Stay Out', we as a group decided that the song along with what we had filmed wasn't working out. After many many different storyboards and different story lines for this particular song, we begin to think of different shot types and editing we wanted to us but which were classically used for other genres, and started to think of other songs we could use rather than limiting ourselves. After looking looking at many songs we love, we thought to use a song which isn't very known to the general puplic therefore allowing ourselves to create a fresh image rather than there being preconceptions on the artist or band and given the video it self. After expressing our dilemia to our fellow classmates they gave us many different songs in which they as media students, knowing the limitations of choosing certain songs  thought we could work with. In the end we decided on the song 'White Noise' by Pvris. Having no music video for the song we decided that the song would be perfect, having a disticnt beat in which we could edit to. After choosing a song it wasn't plain sailing like we imagined. The ideas that we had come up with were not possible for four teenagers to accomplish, or had been done many times. However after meeting up over the holidays and the constant streams of ideas flowing on group chat we finally came to a decision.

Here's the song:

Music Video Section - Rolling Stones Tee

Here is section in which we have edited to go towards our music video. This is a scene from the first verse which is a direct link between the lyrics and the visual.

Filming Day One - Rolling Stones Tee

On Friday we started our filming. Due to our star, Ciara being ill we couldn't film an awful lot, however we tried to at least start so could begin editing. The day was filmed with many huddles and obstacles that we had to overcome. As Emily also does Photography, we were able to use the photography departments resources as well. For our 'Rolling Stones' shot we wanted to create a stop animation of a actual Rolling Stones Tee unrevealing, showing what the top says. We decided the best way to do this was to film one long video and every five seconds move the top a little bit. (We also did the same with pictures but it didn't work as well.) The idea it self sounds straight forward however our camera decided to stop working and not allow us to film. Keeping showing us this message.

After trying to figure out for so long what to do, and having no access to our teachers, we were stuck. However after Googling the problem for a while we found the problem was we didn't have a fast enough SD card. Finally we changed the SD card and we were able to film the shot and begin the editing process. 

These are a few pictures of our stressful day. 

Here was a blog we did on the day. 

Ferdinand de Saussure

I did this presentation a while back on Ferdinand de Saussure and his semotics theory. I think his theory is significant when thinking of miss en scene for our music video as it will help create the image we want to our audience.

Digipak Research

Today we begin looking at well known artist's dgipak. We were looking at the aspects of genre, lettering/ front styles and sizers, image, the representation of the star and the target audience. by looking at albums of different genres I was able to recognise the significants of all the detail, helping to reflect the 'image' of the artist or band. I would like for my own digipak to have an aspect of the iconography which we will use in our music video and translate that theme to my album covers.

BFI Trip

Today as a media class we visited BFI Southbank, for a  'Making Music Video for A2 Media Studies Students' seminar. My group and I thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and found it quite useful. Throughout the day we were spoken to by Pete Fraser on the history of music videos and on how they have developed throughout time, and some top tips for when we will creating our own video. We all so received a talk from former music video editor now director. After watching pervious student's music video we all felt the pressure, however after pitching our idea to Fraser we received some confidence. The day overall was motivating and inspiring.

Here are a few snaps that I got today:

And in honour of the huge success of ''The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1''  2014's biggest opening with 123 Million Dollars. The ladies bathroom design. Katniss Everdeen.

Storyboarding Inspiration (Verse Four) Ugly Betty

In todays lesson we decided to continue story boarding. We continued with the method of hearing the the song and looking at the lyrics and talking about what we can envision for each line or verse. We came up with the idea of doing a horizontal split screen, spinning and showing different types of people through what they wear. After talking we realised it was almost like the Ugly Betty opening.

Treatment Pitch

Although we changed our idea recently changed our idea for our music video we though we would still upload our treatment pitch as there are some idea which we were thinking we can use from our old idea in our current idea.

Richard Dyer - Star Quality

"A star is an image constructed (as any other aspect of fiction is) from a range of materials - e.g. advertising and magazines, as well as films and music."  -Richard Dyer

Dyers theory states that 'celebrates' and 'pop stars' are manufactured by companys for economical gain. They do this by targeting specific audiences. Making up the image on what this specific audience will identify with. 

His theory is spilt into three sections:

1. Audiences and Institutions 

2. Constitutions 

3. Hegemony

Ed Sheeran

After beginning an independent recording career in 2005, Ed Sheeran's slow rise to stardom in the United States was quickened by some well-known pals: the 22-year-old London resident co-wrote three songs for One Direction's first two albums, and joined Taylor Swift in North America on tour after co-writing and duetting on her song "Everything Has Changed" from Swift's 2012 blockbuster "Red."    

     -Billboard Charts 

Ed Sheeran unlike a lot of the currant artists in the charts is quite unconventional for a 'pop star'. Ed wan't signed by a big record label when he made his name in the industry therefore didn't have to conform to any stereotype or any of the wants for financial gain. Mainly is promotion for albums and tours now is through Interviews on famous shows all around the world for: Jonathan Ross, Graham Norton to The Tonight Show. Also using his official website to is twitter to promote new content as well as to 'sell' himself to the public making him a relatable character to the public.

Iconography(2) - Rolling Stones Tee

After talking about the lyrics of our chosen song, we begin to take out certain lyrics which we likes and thought we could relate the visual to the lyrics. We defiantly wanted to bring in a shot of a actual Rolling Stone Tee. After throwing around a couple of different ideas of how we could present this to the audience, Stef came up with the idea of a scrunched up top slowly unraveling. After this talk, I knew I had a couple of Rolling Stones Tees at home and after trying it out I believe that the idea will work and suit the angle we are aiming for in the music video. We wanted to do this on a white background, but here is me trying it out at home. (Not the greatest of photos)

  

Dior Homme Advert

I came across this Dior advert the other day and I loved it. I've always admired Dior's adverts, I think they are extremely well done and in the style I love. The black and white, almost vintage vibe to it. The long shots creates quite a romantic vibe and this is reflected through the content. Also the way it fades to the next shot by going through being almost blacked out through the 'character' walking to the camera, I think this was really effective. Although I love this style I don't really think this would fit well with our song and genre, but I love'd it when I saw it and it inspired for certain shot ideas for our own music video.

Iconography(1) - Flip Calendar

When creating our shot list / story board, we wanted to make a direct lie between the visual and the lyrics. Particularly in the first verse. The line, 'But they were born in 1991'. We though it would look good to have an actual visual representation of a calendar from 1991 shown on an iphone calendar being scrolled through. However after talking to people from outside the group we are thinking instead we will having something tangible would add to the retro feeling. We were asked what about using a flip calendar instantly we all know that we were defiantly going to do that instead. These are just some of the sort of thing I can envision that I found whilst doing some research. 

Location Hunting

Due to our music video having an vintage vibe, we really liked the idea of a shot of a record store at the beginning of the video, before the song starts, featuring ambient sounds of things such as a bell as the door opens and other little bits which would create a realist opening. I started to research the best record store in london are that we could film in. After visiting countless website there were a handful which were repeated by all the different websites. 

These are a couple that I feel would fit the image we are trying to create for our video.

Asking permission

So now that we have final chosen an idea and are sticking to it, we decided it was time to ask permission if we can use the song, 'stay out'. After finding out what record company Nesbitt is signed to, we realised that we have no way of contacting Island Record, due to being a well know, big corporate company. Therefore we decide to approach the matter at a different angle. Instead using the tools of her own website and her twitter account, we found to emails which was stated to contact. Therefore we sent the following email.

Mini mood board

Planing&Brainstorming

Today was a very productive day from Mac 4. We begin creating a storyboard/ shot list, helping us create a vision for how the music video will turn out. We decided that we are sticking with the vintage tone, as well starting to develop what post production editing we are planning to do. We used websites such as tumblr and youtube music videos from other artists for inspiration. 

Song Lyrics

NINA NESBITT LYRICS

'Stay Out'

He's got a Rolling Stones tee
But he only knows one song
They think they're from the sixty's
But they were born in 1991

There's a man standing in the corner
No one knows quite where he's from
There's a fight between Jill and Lorna
She's got a tattoo of a peace sign on her thumb
All that and the night has just begun

Stay out tonight and see through my eyes
Stay out this time, and we'll be home by five
Stay out, stay out, stay out
Stay out, stay out, stay out

Checkered shirts and chino trousers
Is this some kind of uniform?
It seems that they think they're gangsters
They barely started 6th form

She thinks she's in Barbados
But outside it's minus three
There's a guy outside I'm avoiding
I think that he shares a mystery
That time when he whispered to me

Stay out tonight and see through my eyes
Stay out this time, and we'll be home by five
Stay out, stay out, stay out
Stay out, stay out, stay out

Cause there's people falling in love around you
And there's people falling over their own shoes

All these boys and girls are people
Looking for someone to be
All these boys and girls are people
Waiting for their hearts to beat

All these boys and girls are people
Looking for someone to be
All these boys and girls are people
Waiting for their hearts to beat

Stay out tonight and see through my eyes
Stay out this time, and we'll be home by five
Stay out, stay out, stay out
Stay out, stay out, stay out

He's got a Rolling Stones tee
But he only knows one song
They think they're from the sixty's
But they were born in 1991

We had a group meeting discussing what sort of angle we wanted to take for our music video and we all (surprisingly)  agreed that we felt the tone had a vintage feel to it. We envisioned vinal records and shooting in cypia. The beat tone will allow us to have more creative freedom when it comes to post production editing. The wintery tone is perfect as we can film in london. 

Final Concept

As a group we have changed are ideas more times that it rains in london, but I promise that this is truly the last time, and I know I say that all the time but now it is set in stone.

The song we will be using is the "Stay Out", by female artist Nina Nesbitt. We thought this song would  be perfect for us. We wanted an upbeat song, however majority of the songs we were looking at we had a very summery feel, and due to current london climate, we feel it wouldn't look right or good. Therefore this song would be perfect as it has a warm, snuggly, winter time feel to it, making it perfect for the locations we have access to.

Hozier - Take Me To Church INDIE MUSIC VIDEO - CODES AND CONVENTIONS

Hozier's, 'Take Me to Church' music I think was very well done. The director Brendan Canty, presented the story of a relationship between two men in a same-sex relationship and the violently homophobic backlash of the community. Shot throughout in greyscale is really effective and the video almost replicated an old movies that have no sound. Hozier himself isn't in the music video which is something we want to do Aswell. We believe it would be more effective if we don't show 'artist' as we don't want the audience judge the artist but the music video. This is a common feature of this genre and other music video such as The Neighbourhood's 'Female Robbery' , doesn't include the artist either.
Here is the videos swell as some screen shots from Hozier's narrative music video:

Coke Cola Ad

The other day Emily and Stef showed me a video they had found. The new coke cola advert which they had seen before a youtube video. This video is really inspiring, the editing of making the video from black and white to colour looks really good. It looks really effective, it would be a good editing technique to use in our music video if it flows with our song.Also the point of view shots is exactly what we were thinking of doing throughout. this creates a light hearted feel to the video keeping it fun and easy to understand what is happening in the music video.

Music Video Plan

Now that we have finally decided on our song and the concept, here's what we're thinking:

Idea - Throughout the video the focus will be on a girl from the guy (her boyfriend's) perspective. Focusing on the girls mental state, illustrating her common mood swings. Showing her having a good time, having fun, to going to down, her being distant and upset. 

Camera Shots - We going to show everything through the boys eyes. Never actually showing the boy. Allowing the whole focus to be on the girl and what she is going through. We were inspired my the video Duke Dumont's video "I Got U". Through the audience will be able to tell its through his perspective as we we show his hands and feet, this will allow the audience to see how painful it is seeing someone you love going through pain. 

Locations - We imagine the set of the video to be at a seaside. This setting is usually linked with love and romantic, as well as happiness. The contrast between the different mood and behaviours of the girl will be highlighted through the juxtaposition of the content of the video and the setting.

This is the mood board we made with more of the ideas we have for our music video.