Music Video Planning: Actors

This is to show the reasons why we chose the actors we have.

Tom O’Brien

Tom also being a group member; also is playing the part of the lead singer. With having a lack of actor willing to take up parts for the music video, so tom stepped in. With Tom being in it and also an actor gave an advantage because we only had to arrange between both of us. Tom also fits the part of an indie band member with the clothes he wears.

Aden Thomas

Aden was a number one chose when picking actors with the indie look because he shows the same conventions. Aden being the bass player in the music video has long stylish hair, and also the indie style clothes. From that he was picked start away to be part of the band. One problem with using Aden was with the location of where he lived , giving him limited time with us for filming and also with having to plan the day better with no being able to have that much. Also Aden didn’t know how to play an instrument so the performance segment won’t be as believable.

Ed Barker

With not having actor that can look the part for the indie characteristics, so we had to ask other people that was willing to be in it. Ed Barker kindly said that he would. Ed still fitted with most of the criteria of an indie band member with the clothes he wears and also his young upbeat appearance.

Music Video Planning: Locations

For the groups music video we had to go and look for location before filming to give us a better idea to what we want, and the pros and cons of the location. With the idea that has been chosen for our music video we will need 4 different locations.

Location Number 1

Location 1 is Boultham Park, where we will have the lead singer running around. The lead singer is chosen to be in Boultham Park because with nature wanting to be the main point and the lead singer is the more important they should be put together. Boultham Park was picked because it was in the middle of both homes and also because of its band stand in the middle of one of its fields. We wanted to use the band stand as relapse points were it all comes together. It was also picked because of it secluded paths covered with trees, to give the right feeling to the atmosphere. If Boultham Park is not used then Hartsholme Park would be our next choice because of it having the same characteristics but, Hartsholme is a busier park then Boultham that will cause filming problems. If we was to change the park part altogether then the common would have been used to replace it. The filming would be done early in the day, for the best lighting and also because Boultham Park being dangerous later on in the day.

Location Number 2

Location number 2 is urban home area. This area is where we will see the drummer running around, to find his way back. Because of filming advantages we have chosen to use the area around our school because we will be able to use our free time at school to walk to the area with the equipment borrowed from school to do our filming; and have time to go back and upload it to the computer straight away to back up the files. The problems with using the urban home area is with passing cars being in one shot and not another.

Location 3

Location 3 is held within the city with the bass player running to find his way back. This location could link with the urban area so you are planning to shot it up near the cathedral were the building and the look is different. Problems that can occur here is with people walking around the shots when we need to take the same shot but at a different angle.

Location 4

Because of the lack of knowledge we struggled to find a location for the performance part of the music video. For the performance part we wanted it to be an old stage where it could symbolise there part gigs. But with not knowing any we decided to use the stage at our own school. With using our school stage it will make it easier for us to do the filming, but it isn’t going to give us the right mood. With this location, as a group we will have to go to the dance department to be able to book out the stage, because Dance will normally have the whole hall booked for their lesson.

Music Video Planning: Music Treatment

Images

Lyrics

All 3 band members are seen stood in different environments. One in a park or forest of some sort, surrounded by trees and grass, emphasising nature. In a total contrast, another will be located in a built up area, like the middle of a shopping centre on a Saturday afternoon when it’s at its busiest. The final one will be in an office in work attire (shirt and tie) sat at a desk trying to entertain himself in anyway possible. He throws a screwed up ball of paper at the bin and misses, this resembles his apparent bad luck, and this ends the verse. All 3 band members’ long faces show their boredom at where they are, and how they long to be elsewhere. All of a sudden, they seem to realise what they have to do, and all 3 run at once as the screen blanks out. 3 columns appear one after the other, showing the band members running from the same angle. This shows that they are alike, and the even columns show them each as an essential cog in their bands machine. The shots of them running then switch back to normal and are cut quickly between each band member to resemble the quickened tempo of the song itself. As the chorus ends, the 3 band members fall to the floor and lay on their backs, exhausted. Lots of spinning shots which could resemble dizziness that has come about because of the energy used when running. Shots will zoom in on the band members, as the band get to their feet by the end of the last line of the verse and begin to run again in the next chorus, this time even faster. The shots are cut faster which gives the impression of the band running even faster. As they all make their way into the building with a stage in it at the same time they gather their instruments and make their way on stage for the instrumental. First the bassist, followed by the drummer and finally the singer/guitarist when their instruments come into the song. The band only reach true compatibility when they reach the repeated line “his height wont last” when you can really see the emotion and passion in the face of the singer, as his energy flows throughout the rest of the band who are equally passionate. As the stretched out guitar note which gets higher in pitch as it goes on, the camera will focus upon an amp and shake under the power of the note. The band continues to perform on stage as if it was their home where they felt comfortable. Their long faces are now replaced with smiles and laughter. The lighting on the stage flashes professionally, making the band seem the finished product “too much too fast.” Can they really handle it all? Shots consist of the band themselves and their instruments and will be shot from numerous angles giving the audience a real feel that they can imagine being there at the showing. As the band finish the song the camera zooms out from the stage to show an empty hall and as the band exit to the stage right and left, a cleaner comes across with a broom sweeping the already immaculate floor. This shows the band still has a long way to go.

Whatever happened To Saying these words the last time At least for a while And he looks so worried But you hate how he looks at life With such a closed mind Too much, too fast, We should be heading back No questions asked Its always sailing past Have you learned your lesson? Have you learnt to always think things through? Cause you keep on changing What you think is right What is true but only when it suits you Too much, too fast, We should be heading back No questions asked Its always sailing past His Height wont last His height wont last Too much, too fast, We should be heading back No questions asked Its always sailing past Too much, too fast, We should be heading back No questions asked Its always sailing past

This is the music treatment done by my partner I was working with. From this music treatment we will be able to be better planned when starting to film

Music Video Planning: Music Video Ideas

Performance

1. With a performance video only being of the band playing, I have decided instead of having a live session video of the band playing, I would have a performance story. Looking at the lyrics of the song I find that the meaning of the song means that they have gone to fast and need to head back to the begin. Through this theory the idea was made that the band should perform the song on an old stage with no one around. This is to give the feel of it being the start of their career again, going back to the start. The actors them self are still in fashionable clothes to show they have changed from there ordinary times. Within the camera shots they will be long shots so it fits the how band in to give them there equality within the band. There will also be close-ups but they will be of the instruments to show that the music is what’s important to them; and from this it gives off the idea that bands are changed by material things, and they are trying to go back to the start.

2. Another idea for a performance video would be having the band performance not in and indoor place but outside in nature. This is to capture the feeling of going back to the start, which is pure and can link with nature. Also with my idea with Bombay Bicycle Club from my mind map I linked them with bike rides that can also link with nature. With the band not being in a stage location it shows that they are not in it for the performance, it doesn’t matter where they play. This idea can come from my research with Lights and Sounds video where they are on the beach and singing about life. Within this idea the shots will be passive shots to show that the band is indie because they’re not framed shots; always moving. With the passive shots they can be moving left all the time like they are going backwards. Close-ups of the instruments and the lead singer will be used. A problem with this idea is betting the music equipment to these places.

Narrative

3. Looking at part of the lyrics of the song it says “but you hate how he looks at life” gives me the idea that the narrator is talking to or from a women’s point of view in the song. With having 2 genders within the lyric I took up the judgement of thinking that it was about a relationship. From the lyric in the relationship the women’s thoughts are that the man is taking something too far and she wants it to head back to how they were. Through this idea it will be a story from a women’s point of view in a failing relationship of arguments and sadness. With that idea I would use fast action shots because of the tenseness of arguments. Also within shots they will be mostly long shots to show space, and the loneliness but a lot of close-ups to show her sadness. The story will also follow things that happen within their relationships and flash backs will pop up of times when things were happy.

With this idea I wanted to use the camera shots with mainly using a point of view style to it. I thought that use a point of view shot will give off a new idea of a music video and would interest the audience. With these point of view shots it will follow the life of a teenager in his life where problems will occur; but it all focuses around a bike ride. But because the shot is just one shot and doesn’t have any more I will have to add other shots and angles to make it more intriguing.

Extra things that can be added to any of these ideas are a clock that is going backwards; this gives off a better idea of tome needing to go back.

Combination

This idea was contemplated in my group from several things added all together. We looked at Red Hot Chilli Peppers music video of Californication where they are trying to run to a destination; we liked the idea of this, and thought that it could link in with the picked song. The idea is that the band members in the music video are in 3 different locations, to show that it doesn’t matter where you are it’s the same. The band members are meant to be running away from their problems to find the solution, and the only way to find it is to go back. The actors in the narrative are the band members in the performance as well to show that the story is about them. There wouldn’t want me to be any transitions in the music video because the shots want to be fast. When the lead singer reaches the same point he started it goes into the performance side of the video to show that they have learnt the lesson and are starting again.

With all the ideas, they can’t all be made into a combination of both performance and narrative , and this will probably make each idea better if it was.

Music Video Planning: Music Lyrics

Whatever happened
To saving these words the last time
At least for a while
And he looks so worried
But you hate how he looks at life
With such a closed mind

Too much, too fast
We should be heading back
No questions asked
It’s always sailing past

Have learned your lesson
Have you learnt to always think things through
Cause you keep on changing
What you think is right
What is true but only when it suits you

Too much, too fast
We should be heading back
No questions asked
It’s always sailing past

His height won’t last
His height won’t last

Too much, too fast
We should be heading back
No questions asked
It’s always sailing past

Too much, too fast
We should be heading back
No questions asked
It’s always sailing past

Music Video Planning: Permission

Though this post it goes through the stages of looking for a band with my partner on MySpace and asking for the bands permission to use their songs. We ask a few bands to give us more choice if one decides not to give us permission. Each band asked had a similar genre to each other evolving around Indie.

Bombay Bicycle Club
Sent
Dear Bombay Bicycle Club,
I am a 6th form media student and need a song from an unsigned artist to base a music video on. Immediately, you guys sprung to mind as I have been a fan of you for a fair bit of time now, after hearing your name through people on MySpace.
My personal favourite song is Pedestal and I would love to use this for my project; however our exam requires we gain consent from the artist to use your work.
The video would be solely for our exam and will not be shown publically except in our class most likely
Thanks
Yours Sincerely
Adam Herrick

Reply
We would be honoured
good luck with the exam
BBC

The View
Sent
Dear The View,

I am a 6th form media student and need a song from an unsigned artist to base a music video on. Immediately, you guys sprung to mind as I have been a fan of you for a fair bit of time now, after hearing your work and buying both albums, as well as seeing you were unsigned to my surprise.
My personal favourite song is "Wastelands" off your first album and I would love to use this for my project, however our exam requires we gain consent from the artist to use your work.

The video would be solely for our exam and will not be shown publically except in our class most likely.

Thanks

Yours Sincerely

Adam Herrick

Reply
Hi Adam,
as long as you don't use the video for sale or public performance it would be cool :0)
cheers,
TV
x

The Story So Far
Dear The Story So Far,
I am doing a media course and my project is to create a music video from an unsigned artist of my picking. None of the production made will be published or will it be shown to anyone but the moderators at OCR. I was wondering if I could use one of your songs for my project because I am a big fan of your music; 1234 being the first song I listen to, and after that I was hooked. If you approve would you like to pick a song because I find it too hard to pick any in the playlist finding that they are all great songs with meanings that can be portrayed.
Yours Sincerely
Adam Herrick

No reply

Music Video Planning: Picking a band

After the initial research of music videos and bands, my partner and I have decided to find a band that revolves around the genre of Indie. For my own personal thoughts I find that I would have more uses and creative ideas for a band genre of Indie Pop; this is because it’s fast tempo and also link with their target audience of people my own age. Looking at my poster research of Lights and Sounds, I can see that to create a digipak and poster from this genre will be easier because I already know the conventions of a typical indie pop band. The best place to find an unsigned Indie Band is with on MySpace, because that is where most of that genre starts off. When I have found the band that will be used, I need to ask for permission from the band to use the music.