Teaser video

After I shot my music video, I decided to create a 'teaser video' (Link above) before starting my editing, so I used some of my footage to create this. It is only about a minute long and believe it shows my potential when I come round to fully editing my video. I got the idea of doing a teaser trailer from Justin Biebers 'Boyfriend' teaser clip. (Link below)

Filming shoots

I have just all the filming for my video. I planned to do it over 3 separate days however my 3 actors/actresses became available all on one day so we had a very long day of filming in which I got a large amount of footage, about 30 minutes worth of film.

What went well?

The day ran smoothly with only a few hiccups and I was glad I had thoroughly planned what I wanted to do because it meant we were able to stick to schedule easily so I would say time management was the aspect that went most well when filming. Due to my planning of outfits and setting, I knew exactly where I wanted my actors and what I wanted them in. The shots I am most happy when Ollie walks up the high street. Ollie and I had to get up at 6am so we could get a shot of him at sunrise - this worked because no one was up around this time and so no cars were getting in our way when I wanted him to walk in the middle of the road it also meant I was considering his health and safety as I obviously didn't want him to get run over! In conclusion  I believe the filming went really well and I got all the shots that I needed and wanted.

What didn't go so well?

A few aspects of the day didn't go so well for me, although time management was good, Tayla arrived two hours late for filming so I felt a bit rushed when getting everything done in time before it got dark. Weather and time of day was my main difficulty during the project. When I woke up at 6am hoping for a sunrise, I was disappointed due to the October weather it was cloudy and rainy so some of the shots didn't work as well as I hoped. Finally, one of my shots didn't work as well as I hoped due to Tayla having a fear of being picked up which proved difficult when Ollie has to spin her round as she kept looking at him before he picked her up which may be confusing for the audience as he is supposed to be 'invisible' - because of this I took some extra shots of her getting ready to go out with 'the new boyfriend'.

What I would do differently if I were to do it again?

If I were to shoot again I would probably have spread out the days so my filming wasn't rushed, if I had had more time during the week, I also could have waited for when there was the right weather however due to Ollie, Tayla and Charlie all living in completely different places far away, I couldn't ask them to do the whole week of filming.

Behind the scenes

This video is to show the behind the scenes action that took place including talking to Ollie and Tayla about how the days went whilst filming. I ended up being able to film the whole video within one day which means I am really ahead schedule and have more time to complete the editing which I will start tonight. It was a really long, tough day but I am really happy with the shots I have got and hope my video will achieve the success I believe it has the potential of.

Log Diary 3

Over the last week I have been planning my filming carefully so I could assess dangers and problems as well as making sure I had good time management for when I complete my video. This week has been extremely productive and I can not wait to start working with Ollie, Tayla and Charlie on this project.

Filming plan 3: Highstreet: "The new boyfriend"

Location: Great missenden highstreet - Outside Cafe Toria

Date: Thursday 1st November

Time: 4pm

Lighting: Natural lighting

 

Actors

Charlie Rance - 'The new boyfriend'

Ollie Sloan - Singer

Tayla Lovegrove - The 'ex girlfriend'

 

Costume

Casual clothing - same as before

Equipment

Camera with tripod

Storyboard and filming plans 

 

Possible problems

Weather

Daylight hours, shooting before it gets dark

Risk assessment

None

Film plans: Cafe and bedroom scenes

Location: Inside my room and Cafe Toria

Date: Wednesday 31st October

Time: 1pm - 4pm

Lighting: Artificial warm lighting (from lamp in room), lights from cafe

 

Actors

Ollie Sloan - Singer

Tayla Lovegrove - The 'ex girlfriend'

Costume

All costumes consisting of

Shirt/Hoody

Jacket

Jeans

Dress

Equipment

Coffee Cup

Guitar

Photographs

Dress to hold up

Camera and Tripod

Storyboard and filming plans 

Possible problems

Moving the camera/Panning

Figuring out lighting positions in bedroom

Weather

Sun going down earlier

 

Risk assessment

Coffee cup - fragile - can't break

 

Filming plans: Shoot 1: Highstreet scene

I chose to do filming plans so I would know what I need when it comes to the day and can deal with the problems in an efficient way when and if it comes to it.


Location: Great Missenden Highstreet

Date: Tuesday 30th November

Time: 6am - 7am

Lighting: Natural - sunrise

Actors

Ollie Sloan

Costume

Jeans

Hoody

Trainers

Equipment

Guitar

Camera with tripod

Storyboard and filming plans 

Possible problems

Moving the camera/walking backwards

Weather - If it is cloudy, the sun will not show for light beams and lens flares

Risk assessment

Walking in the middle of the road - danger with cars

Walking backwards with camera - falling over - will have to make sure someone is behind me to help look out

Test shots

These test shots were to show me what could go wrong and what would work when properly filming my music video whilst trying to stick to my storyboard. I believe I few of these shots are really successful and will repeat them when filming for the video however some such as the bell shot - doesn't work and therefore I will not be using this. I also need to make some alterations in setting such as where on the high street I will film. I used the song 'I'm yours' by Jason Mraz to go in the background of this video as it relates to my acoustic genre as well as it having upbeat tones. Finally, I must plan the time of day I do this video shoot due to cars in the back ground being one of the main distractions when doing the test shots. I now know not to film at 1pm on a saturday!

Log Diary 2

In the last few weeks I've been doing everything from finishing off format research, choosing my setting choices and creating a story line. Each of these different things have kept me extremely busy and some of the tasks have been challenging, such as thinking up a whole story that relates to the narrative of the song but I feel as if I have accomplished quite a lot in this time and I am extremely eager to start my filming. Over the next couple of weeks I will be looking a film plans and judging the risk assesments and things that may go wrong just so I will be aware of them. I will then start my filming.

Letter to 'Cafe Toria' - My setting choice

                                                                                   

This letter I sent to Cafe Toria was to get permission to use their space in my music video and thankfully they accepted which I am really grateful for.

 The Misbourne School

Misbourne Drive

Great Missenden

Buckinghamshire

HP16 0BN

Dear Sir/Madam,

                       

I am an A Level student studying Media at The Misbourne School. Currently for my coursework I am making a music video.

In one part of my video I would like to film in a café and after being a regular customer at Café Toria I would love to use your premises to film my music video.

It would involve my songwriter/singer sitting in your café singing to the camera and my other actress walking in and ordering. I believe using your café for my media coursework could help promote your shop.

 If I am able to use your café, I would be filming around the middle of November.

When I have finished the film, it will be displayed on YouTube as well as my blog which is for the moderation.

As a student I am covered under Bucks County Council and will treat your property with great respect.

If you have any questions do not hesitate to email me on nortm001@bucksgfl.org.uk

I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely

Madelaine North

Props and clothing

Due to doing 'the present' and 'the past' in my music video, I wanted to define between the two eras by changing the clothes of my actors. I chose to make the actors in 'the past' look more comfortable and wear baggy clothes as this reminds the audience what it is like to be in a relationship - when it doesn't matter what you are wearing. I then changed the actors in to nicer clothes, for example, you can see in the picture below that Tayla is wearing a dress. This is mainly to relate to the line in the song "I've never seen you look so good".
The main prop used in my music video is the guitar. This is the one that Ollie will be using when walking along the street singing to the camera.




Final props list:
- Guitar
- Photographs
- Coffee mug


Final costume list:
OLLIE: Checkered shirt, jeans x2, black plain top, hoody, jacket, necklace
TAYLA: Dress, denim jacket, leggings, scarf, checkered jacket, denim shirt, jeans, casual top
CHARLIE: Jeans, plain white top, Harrington jacket, Dr Martens

Actor Profiles

Name: Oliver Sloan

Age: 22

Nationality: White British/American

Height: 5ft 11

Hair colour: Brown

Eye Colour: Blue

Name: Charlie Rance

Age: 18

Nationality: White British

Height: 6ft

Hair colour: Brown

Eye colour: Brown

Name: Tayla Lovegrove

Age: 16

Nationality: White British

Height: 5ft 4

Hair colour: Blonde

Eye colour: Blue

Setting choices

For my music video, I had to choose a couple of locations to shoot my actors singing and acting out the storyline I have set. Due to living in a rather rural area, I was able to find some really pretty places. When researching in to music videos of the acoustic genre, I found a lot of videos that were set in the country side, I believe this was to show the relaxing manmade music - unlike electronic music videos which are usually set in artificial settings using things such as green screens. I didn't want to completely go with these conventions and instead decided to shoot in a high street and small cafe. The high street will mainly be used to shoot Ollie walking with his guitar singing to the camera. The cafe will be then be used when Ollie sees his "ex girlfriend" and then also to show them as a couple in the 'past' walking in together - this is to show the line from the song "I knew we'd meet up in familiar places, only ‘cos we share the same familiar faces".

The last setting I will be using is a bedroom. This will be to show Tayla as if she is in her own room and Ollie watching her as if he is a ghost, trying to remember how it used to be. There will also be a clip where it goes back to the past when they are having fun together just how they used to be in a couple.

 

Lyrics storyboard

This storyboard I created was to have more detail as my other storyboard will help me more when it comes to angles and shots and deciding whether to use a mid or close up shot for example. This storyboard was more for me to follow when filming as I find it easier to understand.


Italic bold – Ollie singing

Red – Lyrics

Black - Actions

Intro music - Ollie watching Tayla walking in to café. Long shot of Tayla walking up to the counter

I knew one day we’d meet up in familiar places, only cause we share the same familiar faces oh, woh, who – Mid shot of Ollie singing to camera as he gets up

Must keep control, oh, woh – Ollie getting up and walking to counter

I never saw you look so good and don’t you know it, takes me back to how we were but I won’t show it, no, no, no – Close up on Ollie’s hand tapping Taylas shoulder and Tayla turns around. Long shot flash back of them walking as a couple in to same café

Cause I let you go, go, go – Mid shot of Ollie singing to camera

I want to know your missing me, know what you’ve done and where you’ve been, don’t wanna know if you’re in love – Ollie walking down street with guitar, long shot

Know that I want the best for you; I want the best but not the truth

Don’t wanna know if you’re in love

Just because

In bedroom Ollie singing, Close up and then zoom out on to him watching Tayla look through photographs.

Nothings any better since the day I left you, however hard I try, you know I can’t forget you

No, no, no                                                 - Mix shots of Ollie walking down street playing guitar

Are you alone, woh, woh

You’ve never seemed so different and the way your talking - Mid Close up on Tayla talking

I wonder if there is someone knew and this is awkward, oh woh oh – Over the shoulder shot

Should I go, go, go                 Mid Close up - Ollie

I want to know your missing me, know what you’ve done and where you’ve been, don’t wanna know if you’re in love  - Mix shots of Ollie and Tayla, Close ups, In bedroom

Know that I want the best for you; I want the best but not the truth   - Mix shots of Tayla looking through wardrobe and in the mirror. Ollie comes behind her and picks her up and starts spinning

Don’t wanna know if you’re in love            - Edit shot so spinning turns into another clip of Ollie spinning Tayla but in her pjs (Relates to him thinking about the past)

Just because – Throws Tayla down on to the bed

Ollie playing guitar and Tayla watching. Tayla pulls Ollie back on to the bed. Mid long shot.

 

Nothing’s changed and I’m still picking up the pieces

Just because, in a way, I’m still ironing out the creases  

Ollie playing guitar and Tayla watching. Tayla pulls Ollie back on to the bed. Mid long shot.

Just because, just because

I want to know your missing me, know what you’ve done and where you’ve been, don’t wanna know if you’re in love

Know that I want the best for you; I want the best but not the truth

Don’t wanna know if you’re in love             - Birds eye view. Ollie singing to Tayla.

Just because

Ohoh

Just because                      Mix shots:

Ohoh                                 Close up on Ollie singing in street

Just because                      Silhouette of Ollie and guitar

Just because                      Close up on Guitar

Ohoh                                 Close up on Tayla – Pans on her walking out the cafe

Ohoh

Just because

Mid shot of Ollie walking out of shop and closing the door, pan to him walking away

From Ollies point of view – Tayla walking down the street with new boyfriend

Ollie walks towards the camera and puts head down – Slow motion

Storyboard

I created this storyboard after brain storming ideas about what to do for my music video. Although it is just rough drawings it will help me a lot when filming for my music video as I will have an idea of which shots to film and which shots I need to get my music video to it's full potential. It also clearly shows what shots comes after the next so my days can run more smoothly and I will know what I want. After getting friends and family to look at my initial ideas, this seems to have the most positive feedback and hopefully everything will go to plan.

Original lyrics storyboard

 This storyboard was for the first ideas that I had. Ollie sat down with me to discuss what the song was about and I had to decide whether I wanted to create an abstract music video or to follow a narrative that linked with the song. After researching into other music videos and asking people what they prefered in my surveys I decided to follow a narrative as it seems to be the most successful technique and what everyone seems most to enjoy.

Lyric analysis of 'Just Because' by Ollie Sloan

Here is a rough analysis of the lyrics Ollie sent me for 'Just Because'. I have mainly just analysed what the song is about so I can work on my story line so I can then think about cast, setting, weather conditions and more aspects. From analysing and talking to Ollie, I see the story is about two ex's that run in to each other because they used to go to this particular place when they were together. He then wants to know what she has been up to but doesn't want to know that she might have fallen in love with another guy because he feels he has made a mistake. This I believe is a really strong narrative for a song and it will be really interesting to develop and strongly helps me develop ideas for my music video.

Copyright agreement for song

To legally use Ollie’s song, I had to email him and get rights to it due to copyright. This was the email he sent back allowing me to use 'Just because' for media purposes only. It was really important that I got these rights as I didn't want to breach the copyright agreements.

My choice of genre, song and artist

Through looking at all my research I have done in the last couple of weeks, I have decided to chose the acoustic genre for my music video. I believe the acoustic genre is very relaxed and you can have a mix of themes, as live music, narrative and abstract filming has all been shown in the music videos I have looked at. I also didn't really like the idea of having dance within my video; however this style is mainly shown in pop songs or R&B such as ‘Single Ladies’ by Beyonce.

Acoustic music is when the artist uses instruments solely or primarily through the acoustic means instead of using technology, or electronic instruments. The concept of "acoustic music" appeared after the introduction of electric instruments, such as the electric guitar.

Following the increasing popularity of the television show MTV Unplugged during the 1990s, acoustic performances by musical artists who usually use electronic instruments became referred to as "unplugged" performances.

Below are some statistics from the two music videos I looked at – ‘Give me love’ by Ed Sheeran and ‘Only Love’ by Ben Howard. I looked at the statistics of these videos to give me a rough idea of who I can direct my music video towards. It is evident here that Females between the ages of 13 – 24 are my main demographic and therefore this is this will be my target audience.

When looking into acoustic songs I could use for my music video I had a thought that I didn’t want to do a mainstream song but an original one. I thought of my friend Ollie Sloan who has been writing music and singing since the age of 11. The initial recordings he made featured just him singing and playing piano, but lately has introduced full band songs.

Ollie has agreed to let me use one of his songs and himself in my music video.

After discussing many options, the song I am using is called ‘Just because’. ‘Just because’ is about two ex’s who bump in to each other one day and he wants to know how his ex is however the last thing he wants to know is that she has a new boyfriend and is in love. After listening to the song many times, the catchy lyrics and upbeat melody makes me think of the many narratives I could use. I believe this will be a great song to put a story to in my music video.

The girl I will be using as the ‘ex’ will be Tayla Lovegrove who has participated in theatre since the age of 14, because of this, I know she will be a good actress and take the filming seriously as well as conveying the emotions I would like to portray.

I am really excited to start working with Ollie and Tayla and storyboard the ideas we have and put them to the lyrics.

Format Research - Music Video Three

Single Ladies (Put a ring on it) - Beyonce

Written By: Christopher Stewart, Terius Nash, Thaddis Harrell and Beyonce Knowles
Structure: Dance
Genre: Dance Pop
Directed by: Jake Nava
SUMMARY OF FORMAT RESEARCH
After researching into different music videos of different genres and structures as well as analysing them, I believe I have learned the appropriate mainstream conventions for constructing my own music video which will be helpful when planning. Learning how to link these conventions with the genre of my choice will also be really helpful when planning and shooting my own music video. Finally, I have learned how to appropriately edit the video in relation to the spped of the track as well as now understanding the approaches to stucture my video in a successful way.

Format Research - Music Video Two

Only Love - Ben Howard

Written By: Ben Howard

Produced By: Chris Bond and Darren Lawson

Genre: Acoustic
Structure: Abstract

Story/Theme

Most of this music video starts with abstract filming which did not fit in to a chronological story. This made me originally believe there is no narrative however when thinking further in depth and looking more at the music video, I thought the bike used in the video could reflect the idea of Ben Howard being on the ‘journey’ of love. This idea creates a strong link to the lyrics and atmosphere which I believe is rather relaxing and happy due to the other micro elements such as lighting and colour. At the start of the video, “Only love” is faded in to show a below shot of Ben Howard on bicycle. This is a really unusual shot to start with which created a slightly surreal atmosphere – as if he was in a fantasy of his own. This narrative is then continued during the video whilst he is looking around in a way that he is in a dream. Although this song has a happy theme to it, there are also contrasts of sadness within it. This is expressed through part of the lyrics – “watch me fall apart”. It is also demonstrated when there are contrasts of colour as well as the fact Ben Howard is alone for most of the video which then switches to clips of people all together in a community such as the audience during the concert and when people are hugging backstage.

Mise en scene

Setting

The main setting shown throughout this video is New York which is evidently where the music video was filmed – I found this out from the information on Ben Howard’s website. Through the duration of this, he is riding around on a bike and on the train as if he is sight seeing. This is an interesting effect for the viewer due to it being as if we are looking from his point of view which has a personal feel to it – as if we are looking through the singers eyes. It also means we can see a lot of the setting and this becomes a main feature. Another setting which is important is the ‘concert’ – this is because the mixture of abstract filming and live music is a nice contrast and keeps the audience interested in what they are watching in stead of it just being the same setting throughout. It also shows to the audience that the actor in the video is the singer. It could also be considered as a promoting technique, as it is demonstrates a nice atmosphere for a concert. Finally, the last setting I believe is most significant is the one of Ben Howard jumping in to the lake/river and the shot of his underwater. Although this setting is only shown for 10 seconds maximum, it relates to the album cover and website homepage which is a picture of him underwater. Although these are the three settings that stood out most for me, the other aspects such as the park, train stations and broken piers also showed a contrast of rural and urban settings which created mixed emotions for the viewer.

Costume

When considering costume there is not much to mention due to there being only 3 changes which are all very similar looks. Ben Howard is shown to be wearing a t-shirt and jeans for the majority of the music video however there are also shots of him in a hoody and hat. All of these clothes are comfortable clothes you’d wear in everyday life. Although this doesn’t relate to the narrative much, I believe it compliments the fact it is a very relaxing song and video which then contributes to the overall theme of tranquillity.

Lighting

Lighting plays a bit part in this music video due to it completely controlling the atmosphere. The video was evidently made in the sunlight which is brightly shown through the sun beams across the camera, silhouettes, shadows and lens flares. This again portrays a calming mood and happy narrative which compliments the costume and theme. The only other light then shown is the artificial stage lights during the concerts – this creates a sense of realism and being at the concert, again a personal effect for the viewer.

Props

There is not much to mention with props however when regarding realism – props need to be considered due to the band instruments used when shooting the concert clips. Also most of the video is shot using an old bike – this reminds me of a rural place which contrasts with the urban setting of New York City.

Editing

Editing is also not a big deal in this music video, each shot jumps from one to another except the starting and ending one which both fade in and out. Some clips are also in slow motion which again contributes to the relaxing narrative this music video holds. Finally – some of the clips have been edited into a different colour, for example, some aren’t as saturated as well as the concert clips having tones of sepia within them.

Camera

As mentioned before, the first shot the audience is shown is a below shot of the singer, this slow fading in transition then is completely contrast with the multiple quick jump shots the audience are shown of the different angles and settings in NYC and of the bike and singer. When counting, there are roughly 8 shots within the first 15 seconds and 43 shots in the first minute, calculating to the shots only having about 1.2 seconds each; this is why I believe the narratives were rather blurred due to there being so much shown within the first minute of filming and why I believe it is an abstract music video. There are also some shots that look slightly hand held – again creating a sense of realism contrasting with the surreal beginning. Other shots that interested me were the tracking shots, which were shown after Ben Howards head was resting on what looked like a train window. The tracking shots then seemed to be from his point of view which was a really successful effect.

Ending

The video ends by the camera transitions slowing down which prepares the audience for the end of the song. The clip of Ben Howard cycling away in slow motion which fades out finally ends the video in the same surreal way. Overall this music video is very simplistic with the minimal editing and simple settings as well as the non diegetic sound which is carried out through the video. I believe some aspects such as the sun light and the slowing down/faded out ending will inspire me when shooting my music video.