Location Analysis

These three images are of one of the main locations we will be using. This is the place where our main character will come after he sees his ex with somebody else. The dull tones of the scenery reflects his mood and the sombre theme that shows despair. This is shown with the natural wood colours and the dull green of the leaves. Also by the dull brickwork and the graffiti represents a run down area, which is where the character feels he belongs as a run down human being. The first picture is the most influential to show what sort of place this is and so will be used as an establishing shot. The others will show fast paced shots including smashing bottles to symbolise a choatic atmosphere to portray his chaotic emotions.
































These two locations reflect the same theme of despair with dull colours and their general appearence of nothing being appealing. We will use a very unsteady point of view shot of the main character running whilst he feels he is being followed, shown by similar shots from behind the protagonist. This is to symbolise him running away from his troubles and therefore running away from the places that reflect how he is feeling on the inside. This allows the audience to empathise with the character as everybody has felt the desire to escape problems, enabling them to become more involved in the narrative.

Filming Schedule

Scenes to film:
- Protaganist seeing ex in street
- Protaganist going crazy in street
- Protaganist meeting up with drug dealer
Equipment: Camera and tripod
Locations: Street in a residential area, discreet alleyway
Props: Hoodie, flour in a bag resembling cocaine
People needed: Media group - Lucy, Michelle, Miles. Actors - Pad (main character), Miles, James, Lucy
Estimated time: 2 hours

Monday 11th October

Scenes to film:
- Opening bedroom scenes, eg. reading text and destroying room
- More going crazy in streets including him smashing bottles in the tunnel underneath the bridge.
Equipment: Camera and tripod
Locations: A boy's bedroom, a pavement besides a busy street, tunnel
Props: Alcohol glass bottles, road signs, a bed, clothes, photo
People needed: Media group - Lucy, Michelle, Miles. Actors - Pad
Estimated time: 3 hours

Thursday 14th October

Scenes to film:
- Night scenes including fire scenes and point of view shots
- More inside scenes, eg. turning point
- Bath death scenes
Equipment: Camera, tripod, lighting
Locations: A field, a living room, a bathroom
Props: A large oil drum to have fire in, matches, paper and leaves to create fire, teddy bear to burn, alcohol bottles, flour representing cocaine, a bath, razor, mirror
People needed: Media group - Lucy, Michelle, Miles. Actors - Pad
Estimated time: 4 hours

Detailed Storyboard

Audience Feedback

Our questionnaire included open ended questions which made it far more suitable to be done on paper than just have multiple choice options on a blog. We asked mainly about what conventions we had used and how we can improve the parts that are not so conventional. We gave our questionnaire to 18 late teenagers, both female and male, our target audience. The most important thing for us was that the viewers engage with the narrative of the video. It was very hard illustrating the story without making the twist obvious. Results from our questionnaire showed that the majority of people understood it. This reassured us that our story wasn't too confusing. However, responses suggested to us that it would be clearer if we included more footage of the ex boyfriend. We were encouraged to hear that the way we portryed the intoxication of our main character was very convincing, this was very important to us as we wanted to ensure we conveyed the message that this is not what to do in this situation and we didnt want to glorify his actions. We wanted the effects we used to give a realistic account of the consequences of doing such things. When the music was slow we used a slow motion effect and when the music fastened up we increased the speed of the shot. People also commented on the transitions between the shots "which made the music video flow". A lot of people expressed how they liked the variation of shots as it maintained their attention and was very interesting to watch. Thankfully all criticism we recieved was constructive and we were able to build on such views to make our product more successful. This included ensuring that the pace of the editing matched that of the music. We were told this was key in order for it to be easy to follow the narrative without the pace of the music overpowering it, taking the attention away from what was going on in the video. It took time but we managed to maintain a good balance with the music and the editing.

Target Audience Analysis

This is an example of our target audience. Youthful males and females mostly at university studying more creative subjects. People that like to break the mould and do things a little different, for example going to the beach in winter clothes with a pinwheel. These are the type of people that will be interested in drum and bass music and their usual activities would include going out to clubs drinking frequently and therefore be able to connect with our song choice. These particular students are regulars at the Creamfields Festival which is know for dance, drum and bass genres etc. Therefore it is apparent the are familiar with the party scene. There dress sense differs from being out there and different to fitting in with the latest trends that would be sold in such shops as Topshop and All Saints for example. The Video would appeal to both men and women as the main focus is still the genre of music for those less emotionally involved (typically men) but also has a strong focus on the narrative which will appeal more to the women but there is something for everyone.

Storyboard of Final Idea

Initial Storyboard Ideas

Initial Storyboard idea 1Initial Storyboard Idea 2
































Initial Storyboard Idea 3

Coursework Option

After looking at existing music videos me and my group have decided that we would rather make a music video than a film trailer. This is because a music video allows you to change conventions within a genre however still make the video easy to identify as part of that genre. Therefore allowing us to create a more original piece, Whereas with film trailers if conventions are altered too much the end product could fall into a different genre which would prevent the audience being able to identify with it.

Analysis of Existing Music Videos - Prodigy - Smack My Bitch Up

Story: There is an apparent narrative in this music video. It tells the story of a person on a night out drinking heavily and getting into all sorts of trouble through their point of view. Most videos in this genre do not have narratives to them therefore this video stands out and gives the audience something different. The narrative leads to a twist at the end giving the video a clever edge but most importantly something to remember it by so that it sticks with the audience
Setting: The video takes place in various locations throughout including clubs in built up areas, high streets and grubby flats which is inkeeping with the genre of the music and the lifestyles of its audience. The places featured are the typical locations that a night out would include for the target audience
Characters: The main protagonist is not revealed until the end of the video where we see the twist that the character is actually a woman, something that shocks us as they behave in the manner of a drunken man. The band does not appear in the video which whilst unusual for them is very common amongst the dance genre. There are other unimportant characters throughout the video which are just those the woman encounters on her night out. However the woman who comes back to the flat plays a significant part in making the twist more shocking as it shows the character is homosexual
Costumes: It is hard to distinguish the costume for the characters as the video is often blurred and fast moving however we see that they are dressed for a typical night out clubbing with most of the women dressed in revealing outfits. This allows the audience to relate to the video as they do the same things as they see in the video however on a more civil scale presumably
Lyrics: There a few lyrics in the song as it is a dance song however the lyrics 'smack my bitch up' have some reference to what is happening in the video as there are fight scenes
Special Effects: The main effect used is blurring the camera and spinning rapidly. This is necessary as it emphasises how drunk the main character is which is essential as we cannot see her until the very end
Camera Angles: We only have one camera angle throughout the video and that is a point of view shot of the main characters night. This is essential to sustain the narrative and carry through with the twist in order to shock their audience and keep the video in their minds. the movement of the camera is very fast and sudden which fits in with the genre of music but also emphasises the characters intoxication

Analysis of Existing Music Videos Coldplay - The Scientist

Story: There is a clear narrative that is told in reverse. A car accident has killed his girlfriend and he has walked away in despair. Playing the video in reverse allows the video to be interesting as you are wondering what has happened in the past that is so significant. As you do not find out what happened until the end it allows Chris Martin to appear to be a hero as he is walking along as the main man in the viedeo, it seems there is nobody else of significance
Setting: The video uses many outdoor locations that are quiet and subdued which reflects the sombre mood of the video
Characters: The main character is Chris Martin. This is because he is the front man of the group and therefore he is the main one that the fans would like to see, he is the one who will attract the audience. There is also the character of the girlfriend whom is there to correspond with the story and make the video interesting. The target audience of Coldplay would want to see a love interest as they are used to a strong narrative and romance and passion is a strong element of their music. Therefore the audience is more attracted to the video and will remember it.
Costume: The characters both wear standard trendy clothing which represents the bands image and the genre of music. Aiding the audience to identify the video as Coldplay's
Lyrics: The video fits the lyrics as its a sombre song to go with the theme of a tragic accident in the video. The mood of the music is a romantic, sad mood and the lyrics correspond with this which is conventional to some music videos
Special Effects: The video is shot with Chris Martin singing the lyrics backwards so that when the footage is played in reverse it appears that he is moving backwards but singing the words perfectly. The slow reverse movement fits in with the mood of the song which makes it easier to understand. The way it was achieved meant Chris Martin had to leanr the whole song backwards to achieve the effect
Camera Angles:

Analysis of Existing Music Videos Weezer - Buddy Holly

Story: In this video the plot is not very complex. The band are performing in the diner in an episode of 'Happy Days'. This is the selling point of the video as the show is very famous and appeals to the fans they have. Fans will think that the idea of having Weezer performing in the episode is cool and therefore it sells the video and the song to them.
Setting: There is only one setting used in the video and that is Arnold's Cafe which is a famous location in the show. This would be the only way for the video to be made as it is simpler to combine the old footage from Happy Days with the new footage shot to look exactly like the original footage to get the designed effect. Also as the theme is that it is a scene in the show it is logical to use a recognizeable location so the fans can connect with it and undeerstand what is happening in the video
Characters: The main protagonists in the video are of course the band themselves as it is conventional to see them and the fans expect to see them so they know they are watching a Weezer video. Also to make the concept look authentic you see many of the Happy Days cast as some of the footage used in the video is the original show footage. This helps the audience identify with the show which is how the band are trying to attract the audience. You also see new footage of a crowd dancing which represents how the fans of the band would behave if they are there in the video. Making it easier for the audience to relate to the video.
Costume: The costumes used in the new footage are 70's dress to blend in with the original characters in the original footage to make it seem more authentic and the transition more fluid
Lyrics: Like many music videos the lyrics of the song do not match what is happening in the video at all and the song is completely unrelated to Happy Days
Special Effects: The special effects in this video are apparent as it is is the effects that have enabled the old footage to be combined with the new footage. The footage has been combined very effectively to make it look like the band are really in the episode. Also doubles of original characters are used when they are in the background shots or shots from behind, e.g. the double of 'Fonzie' dancing
Camera Angles: The most significant shots used in the video are the close ups of the band and the characters in the original show. This is because the close ups of the band members give the audience what they want by showing them the stars whilst reiterating they are in the episode. It also establishes the video as Weezer's. The close ups of the characters in the show make it obvious that the video is set in Happy Days and it shows the authenticity of the footage which appeals to their fans. Furthermore it also shows how clever the video is by mixing footage which their fans appreciate as this is an element of the band they like. The other significant shots in the video are the long establishing shots which capture not only the band performing but the guests in the diner in the episode. This shows the combination of footage whilst also further reiterating the band is in a tv episode.

Introduction

My name is Miles Williams and I am an A2 Media Studies student at Goffs School. For my A2 coursework i will be producing a music video. This blog will illustrate the steps i have taken in order to construct this video and detail the research i have completed to produce it. I will also be producing a Promotion package to accompany the video along with my group