Monday 30 September 2013
Friday 27 September 2013
Target Audience Profiling
Primary Target Audience
Age: 17-23 Gender: Male or Female Social Class: Lower and middle
Lifestyle: goes to concerts, watches TV, enjoys festivals and music consumption, quite social
Geographical area: Western areas (Europe; Germany, Great Britain, France), America and highly populated English speaking areas.
JICNAR: C2- E (unemployed students)
VAL: rebel/groupie/innovator
Age: 17-23 Gender: Male or Female Social Class: Lower and middle
Lifestyle: goes to concerts, watches TV, enjoys festivals and music consumption, quite social
Geographical area: Western areas (Europe; Germany, Great Britain, France), America and highly populated English speaking areas.
JICNAR: C2- E (unemployed students)
VAL: rebel/groupie/innovator
Monday 23 September 2013
Friday 20 September 2013
Treatment For Music Video
We developed the concept for Mardy Bum into one that's less obvious and the ideas in the video have more clear connotations.
Our idea is that we see a family of four in a perfect house and throughout the video we see them becoming so fake that parts of the house begin to turn into cardboard cut outs of the objects they are. For example, they'll be eating dinner and suddenly the food on the fork turns to cardboard and as they stand up, the table turns into a cardboard cut out and falls over. This is meant to insinuate that trying to live in the perfect household will never work as everything becomes artificial and begins to fall apart, no matter how perfect it looks on the outside. Throughout this, we see the band in the house as well, perhaps in the attic and eventually they turn into cardboard as well and at the very end of the video, we reveal that the house is a dollhouse to further reinforce the idea that 'the perfect family' is a childish dream that is false and simply cannot be achieved.
Our idea is that we see a family of four in a perfect house and throughout the video we see them becoming so fake that parts of the house begin to turn into cardboard cut outs of the objects they are. For example, they'll be eating dinner and suddenly the food on the fork turns to cardboard and as they stand up, the table turns into a cardboard cut out and falls over. This is meant to insinuate that trying to live in the perfect household will never work as everything becomes artificial and begins to fall apart, no matter how perfect it looks on the outside. Throughout this, we see the band in the house as well, perhaps in the attic and eventually they turn into cardboard as well and at the very end of the video, we reveal that the house is a dollhouse to further reinforce the idea that 'the perfect family' is a childish dream that is false and simply cannot be achieved.
Monday 16 September 2013
Mardy Bum
Whilst writing up the treatment for the music video to Video Killed the Radio Star, I realised that the concept was foggy and unclear and I was worried that it might be becoming too complex to execute well. I was looking for the video style of the Arctic Monkeys and so searched one of their songs Mardy Bum into Youtube and discovered that they actually have no video for this song- something which surprised me as the band is well known.
This sparked an idea in my head and so I grabbed a piece of paper and a pen and quickly created a storyboard whilst listening to the track on my phone and came up with a treatment which I then pitched to the rest of my group... and they liked it!
We're still deciding if we definitely want to abandon our original idea; I think we should because as well as the idea become less and less clear, the song's original video is also iconic and it would be hard to make a new video which didn't appear to be a copy, but I'm excited to look into this idea and hopefully develop it into the pop promo which we choose to make.
This sparked an idea in my head and so I grabbed a piece of paper and a pen and quickly created a storyboard whilst listening to the track on my phone and came up with a treatment which I then pitched to the rest of my group... and they liked it!
We're still deciding if we definitely want to abandon our original idea; I think we should because as well as the idea become less and less clear, the song's original video is also iconic and it would be hard to make a new video which didn't appear to be a copy, but I'm excited to look into this idea and hopefully develop it into the pop promo which we choose to make.
A Talk with Emily
Today we had a talk with Emily, a video commissioner from Polydor at Universal Records and she spoke to us about her job and the process which artists go through when creating a music video with Polydor.
She showed us copies of the original presentation of the treatment for Ellie Goulding's music video 'Burn', which Emily was in charge of and she also showed us the treatment for some other music videos.
When I looked at the presentations she showed us, I realised just how detailed they are and when we watched the videos, I realised how much the videos looked like the original idea and I gleaned that this success came from good planning, a clear vision and being realistic.
When planning the treatment for our music video, I'm now going to plan in much more detail to ensure we can produce the video we're all envisaging.
She showed us copies of the original presentation of the treatment for Ellie Goulding's music video 'Burn', which Emily was in charge of and she also showed us the treatment for some other music videos.
When I looked at the presentations she showed us, I realised just how detailed they are and when we watched the videos, I realised how much the videos looked like the original idea and I gleaned that this success came from good planning, a clear vision and being realistic.
When planning the treatment for our music video, I'm now going to plan in much more detail to ensure we can produce the video we're all envisaging.
Friday 13 September 2013
Thursday 12 September 2013
Songs- Video Killed the Radio Star
After spending time focusing on the idea for Sit Down by James, we decided that we're not hugely keen on the song because it's too slow and 80s style for our target audience. We looked for an updated version and found a remix but we still didn't think it was right and decided to consider other songs.
We came up with the song Video Killed the Radio Star and were all really keen on the idea as there's a modern version, in which the bass is emphasised and the overall sound is more modern and synthetic. Furthermore, after reading the articles about Music in the Online Age and how technology is making it ever harder for artists to establish themselves, we thought the song could communicate this modern interpretation. Whereas before video killed the radio star, now, technology is killing the music artist. We also thought about communicating the idea of the 27s Club and thought this could be an interesting section of the video as it explores glamour and the theme of stars being killed by the consumers. Here, we could incorporate old footage of Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, Amy Winehouse and other stars that died as a result of a "live fast, die young" attitude.
Our concept for the video is to have a pile of old TVs and band is displayed on them. This is an example I made on Photoshop.
Then people will come in and take the TVs away as the band are still singing and replace them with new TVs that are better quality however they put the TVs in the wrong order, carelessly, and so the band is all in the wrong order. Something like this...
This process will take the length of the video and would be the performance section of the video.
We came up with the song Video Killed the Radio Star and were all really keen on the idea as there's a modern version, in which the bass is emphasised and the overall sound is more modern and synthetic. Furthermore, after reading the articles about Music in the Online Age and how technology is making it ever harder for artists to establish themselves, we thought the song could communicate this modern interpretation. Whereas before video killed the radio star, now, technology is killing the music artist. We also thought about communicating the idea of the 27s Club and thought this could be an interesting section of the video as it explores glamour and the theme of stars being killed by the consumers. Here, we could incorporate old footage of Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, Amy Winehouse and other stars that died as a result of a "live fast, die young" attitude.
Our concept for the video is to have a pile of old TVs and band is displayed on them. This is an example I made on Photoshop.
Then people will come in and take the TVs away as the band are still singing and replace them with new TVs that are better quality however they put the TVs in the wrong order, carelessly, and so the band is all in the wrong order. Something like this...
Bohemian Rhapsody
My third idea is one which I like but I think the song is too iconic and well known to do a music video to. The song Bohemian Rhapsody is by the world-famous band Queen and is a sad song about a man having to leave, perhaps ending his own life, after murdering someone.
The lyrics are the man telling his mother he's just murdered someone and now he's got to go and so I think it would be interesting to show the man's (singer's) life in flashbacks- just key moments- to illustrate that his life is flashing before his eyes. At the end we see the singer leave or commit suicide, however we choose to interpret the lyrics, so it's obvious that the rest of the video has been his life flashing before his eyes before he "leaves it all behind".
The concept would be hard to do because we'd have to find people who look the same but at different ages and we'd also have to recreate lots of scenarios or use footage we already have.
I have an image in my head of James Blunt's You're Beautiful video, where he's lining up all his possessions before falling into the freezing water in order to be with the "angel he saw on the subway".
I really like this idea of sorting out his possessions and so I thought this could be an alternative to the flashbacks which still shows the singer's state of mind.
We could have him sat at a chair and the whole narrative section of the video will be a medium wide shot from the front. Firstly, we see him pick up a pen and start writing a letter to his mother - writing the lyrics we hear- and then people in blacks, like stage hands, will quickly move the table and chair and put something like a chest of drawers in front of him so that he can take his possessions out, perhaps old photos and other sentimental things and line them up on top of the chest. By doing this, movement, it's as if the scene changes and he's now in a different place sorting out his possessions but we don't cut the camera so the whole narrative is one long shot. This could continue until the end where we just see him step up on to a stool so that his head is out of the shot and then the song ends, connoting that he ended his life and then the camera does its only movement to the table where we see the note and all his possessions lined up.
These ideas might be too complex for our video but I will discuss them with the group anyway and see what their thoughts are.
The lyrics are the man telling his mother he's just murdered someone and now he's got to go and so I think it would be interesting to show the man's (singer's) life in flashbacks- just key moments- to illustrate that his life is flashing before his eyes. At the end we see the singer leave or commit suicide, however we choose to interpret the lyrics, so it's obvious that the rest of the video has been his life flashing before his eyes before he "leaves it all behind".
The concept would be hard to do because we'd have to find people who look the same but at different ages and we'd also have to recreate lots of scenarios or use footage we already have.
I have an image in my head of James Blunt's You're Beautiful video, where he's lining up all his possessions before falling into the freezing water in order to be with the "angel he saw on the subway".
I really like this idea of sorting out his possessions and so I thought this could be an alternative to the flashbacks which still shows the singer's state of mind.
We could have him sat at a chair and the whole narrative section of the video will be a medium wide shot from the front. Firstly, we see him pick up a pen and start writing a letter to his mother - writing the lyrics we hear- and then people in blacks, like stage hands, will quickly move the table and chair and put something like a chest of drawers in front of him so that he can take his possessions out, perhaps old photos and other sentimental things and line them up on top of the chest. By doing this, movement, it's as if the scene changes and he's now in a different place sorting out his possessions but we don't cut the camera so the whole narrative is one long shot. This could continue until the end where we just see him step up on to a stool so that his head is out of the shot and then the song ends, connoting that he ended his life and then the camera does its only movement to the table where we see the note and all his possessions lined up.
These ideas might be too complex for our video but I will discuss them with the group anyway and see what their thoughts are.
Mardy Bum
My second idea for a music video is to the song Mardy Bum by the indie rock band The Arctic Monkeys.
They seem to be 'normal people' and in their songs and music videos portray the lives of everyday working class, young people in urban areas. Their songs communicate realism and the band doesn't sugar coat the message they're trying to convey as they seem to want to communicate the gritty lifestyle some people lead. For example, in the original video for When The Sun Goes Down, the saturation of the images is low which makes the scenes look dull and grey, suggesting that's the way of city life. We clearly see the connotations of prostitution and abuse and the video appears quite violent.
For Mardy Bum, I would have a couple as the main focal point of the music video as it's narrative storyline and would cut between when they're happy and getting on and when they're arguing. I would highlight a number of specific scenarios where he's late home and she's had a whole evening planned, perhaps with a table laid for a meal or he's late to meet her at a restaurant and she's humiliated. This corroborates with the lyrics "yes I'm sorry I was late, but I missed the train and then the traffic was a state." Throughout the video we could portray the man as genuine and that his excuses for letting her down 3 or 4 times are true. However, at the end we'll cut to moments before each of the scenarios where we see him with another girl and we see that actually he's cheating and so there's a twist in the plot.
An interesting idea would be to keep the concept of the video but have a female singing and try reversing the roles to subvert the stereotype of the 'cheating man'. Another idea would be to change the class of the couple, so instead of being a working class couple, perhaps they're upper class, again a change from the usual angle that the Arctic Monkeys show.
They seem to be 'normal people' and in their songs and music videos portray the lives of everyday working class, young people in urban areas. Their songs communicate realism and the band doesn't sugar coat the message they're trying to convey as they seem to want to communicate the gritty lifestyle some people lead. For example, in the original video for When The Sun Goes Down, the saturation of the images is low which makes the scenes look dull and grey, suggesting that's the way of city life. We clearly see the connotations of prostitution and abuse and the video appears quite violent.
For Mardy Bum, I would have a couple as the main focal point of the music video as it's narrative storyline and would cut between when they're happy and getting on and when they're arguing. I would highlight a number of specific scenarios where he's late home and she's had a whole evening planned, perhaps with a table laid for a meal or he's late to meet her at a restaurant and she's humiliated. This corroborates with the lyrics "yes I'm sorry I was late, but I missed the train and then the traffic was a state." Throughout the video we could portray the man as genuine and that his excuses for letting her down 3 or 4 times are true. However, at the end we'll cut to moments before each of the scenarios where we see him with another girl and we see that actually he's cheating and so there's a twist in the plot.
An interesting idea would be to keep the concept of the video but have a female singing and try reversing the roles to subvert the stereotype of the 'cheating man'. Another idea would be to change the class of the couple, so instead of being a working class couple, perhaps they're upper class, again a change from the usual angle that the Arctic Monkeys show.
Sit Down
An idea I had for a music video is to create the scene of a psychiatrist's waiting room, similar to Eminem's Slim Shady music video and have about 8 people stood up doing contemporary movement.
This idea stemmed from 'chair duets'- a theatrical device used by the company Frantic Assembly to show inner thoughts or relationships through movement.
My concept is that all the characters are stood individually doing movements which require other people to interact in order to continue. For example, they need someone to catch them but no one is there so they fall or other people's movements will seem incomplete and fragmented. Then, in the bridge of the song, the lead singer collects all the characters and they all sit in a row- similar to the original video. The singer tries to configure them into an order where they all fit together and in the end, all the characters' movements fit together, for example, people who were once falling are now being caught. This communicates the message of the song which is that we can all help each other and people can solve each other's problems without going out of their way.
When filming the beginning, when the solos don't fit together, I would vary the shot types and speed of the filming in order to show the disjointed nature of their thoughts and how they don't fit together.
The band could be characters in the scene- for example the lead singer could be behind the counter and the drummer, guitarist and bassist could be characters in the scene.
As well as this, we could cut to the band playing the song in a different location, perhaps a shopping mall before it opens and as the song goes on, the location gets busier and busier and the band interact with the audience until they're singing along. This reiterates the message of coming together and helping eachother.
This idea stemmed from 'chair duets'- a theatrical device used by the company Frantic Assembly to show inner thoughts or relationships through movement.
My concept is that all the characters are stood individually doing movements which require other people to interact in order to continue. For example, they need someone to catch them but no one is there so they fall or other people's movements will seem incomplete and fragmented. Then, in the bridge of the song, the lead singer collects all the characters and they all sit in a row- similar to the original video. The singer tries to configure them into an order where they all fit together and in the end, all the characters' movements fit together, for example, people who were once falling are now being caught. This communicates the message of the song which is that we can all help each other and people can solve each other's problems without going out of their way.
When filming the beginning, when the solos don't fit together, I would vary the shot types and speed of the filming in order to show the disjointed nature of their thoughts and how they don't fit together.
The band could be characters in the scene- for example the lead singer could be behind the counter and the drummer, guitarist and bassist could be characters in the scene.
As well as this, we could cut to the band playing the song in a different location, perhaps a shopping mall before it opens and as the song goes on, the location gets busier and busier and the band interact with the audience until they're singing along. This reiterates the message of coming together and helping eachother.
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