Prelimenary Script

As it has been discussed in the lyrical analysis, the song is based on the idea of a failed relationship that has left the protagonist with a shattered psyche. This is why the editing of the video must feature some common codes and conventions featured in music videos that share some of these ideas. The Camera, Mise en Scene, Editing and Sound (which will obviously be the recorded soundtrack) all have to work in conjunction to create a slightly melancholy effect. It will incorporate the codes and conventions of narrative videos that not only are based on love but also ones that feature young actors and how this affects the camera and editing, and also the effect it has on the audience and how it builds meaning.

Narrative 

The narrative must be relevant, which means I must ensure there are no discrepancies between what is on screen and the soundtrack. I intend to produce a narrative video featuring a young girl who has received a note in her schoolbag, however, the audience are left questioning what was written on the piece of paper - we can only assume she has received some bad news that has caused her to become very upset. This in turn causes her to leave the house and roam aimlessly, but introspectively around cul de sacs, high streets and fields (large landscapes) that when encompassing a young girl, cause her to look even more isolated, vulnerable and insignificant. The girl will then be filmed roaming through a playground/park, in which she will still manifest a facial expression that connotes melancholy with a hint of vacancy, creating a binary opposition between the playground - synonymous for lighthearted fun and joy - and the young girls mood, who is subdued and somewhat gloomy. I want the narrative to bear similarities to the promo for "The A Team" by Ed Sheeran, as this video employs the kind of techniques, codes and conventions I wish to use in my video, whilst he also omits himself from as much on screen action as is possible, making some appearances playing insignificant characters sporadically. This is the sort of approach I want to take towards my music video: I want people to view the artists as having a minimalist mindset towards music that focuses exclusively on making music through making a video that is direct and incisive. When the song eventually reaches the pre- chorus/chorus (and when the lyrics "I've got to run away and get me back my rights" and also "Fight for my rights, fight for my youth" are sung) I will have a sequence of shots that show the girl running across the fields/past the playground in slow motion to make the video more cinematic, artistic and intensify the action that is happening on screen. Below I will be documenting a rough copy of my provisional script complete with timings in chronological order. The following has been tailored to adhere to my storyboard as much as is practically possible, my storyboard has given me a solid foundation as to how my product will pan out after my first draft/rough cut.

Script

 00:00-00:10 - ECU on protagonists eyes, capturing the lateral movement of the eyes creating a sense of ambiguity/foreboding

00:10 - 00:18 - Band logo in original typography to be displayed on screen over black background

00:18 - 26:00 - Revert to ECU of eyes

00:26 - 00:30 - Establishing Shot of house to establish location and time of day

00:30 - 00:35 - Match on Action to show girl arriving home from school

00:35 - 00:38 - Mid Shot of girl discovering note in schoolbag - mid shot allows audience to examine mise en scene/costume (school uniform) which connotes youth and innocence, and also naivety and vulnerability.

00:38 - 00:41 - Close Up to capture facial expression whilst reading the note

00:41 - 00:46 - Jump Cut to ECU of eyes (the same as the shot featured in the inaugural scene of the video) and emphasise lateral eye movement to show that she is reading the note.

00:46- 00:54 - Close Up of face to capture facial expression (upset, slightly vacant)

00:54 - 01:00 - Mid Shot of girl exiting kitchen

01:00 - 01:08 - ECU of coat on coat hanger, before seeing the girls arm reach out and unhook the coat.

01:08 - 01:12 - ECU of door handle and then girls hand/arm opening the door

01:12 - 01:17 - Long Shot of girl leaving house walking down the drive - by employing a long shot it will create connotations of isolation, coupled with the use of a High Angle to further emphasise the protagonists insignificance, which will evoke empathy in the audience/viewer

01:17 - 01:22 - Mid Shot of girl walking away from camera with hood up, engulfed in a parka - style jacket - the use of a seemingly oversized coat with the hood placed over the head of the protagonist is insipration I have drawn from Ed Sheeran's "The A Team" ; the use of these techniques contributed to the effect of the protagonists loss of identity

01:22 - 01:29 - POV shot (shot from a low angle), this will be a handheld shot to create the effect of an eye line match of the girl whilst she is walking, a pan will also be used (still handheld to create verisimilitude) to give the audience an insight into the environment

01:29 - 01:38 - Wide Shot of girl walking down the pavement - the camera will not pan, she will merely walk from one end of the frame to the other without being tracked, which connotes a lack of importance and further reinforces the idea of her insignificance, as the camera does not follow her

01:38 - 01:48 - Close Up of facial expression through the use of a handheld shot, this will create the effect of audience involvement and help them feel closer to the protagonist and give them a sense of empathy. In addition to this, the use of a handheld shot will go against the conventions of modern day videos whereby all camera work is neat and tidy, and this will help contribute to the minimalist image that the band are trying to convey to the audience. It is this 'rough around the edges' look that encapsulates the idea that the band are focused exclusively on music rather than fame and lavish/ materialistic possessions/resources.

01:48 - 02:00 - A series of Long Shots taken at a High Angle to emphasise the diminutive figure of the girl and how the environment that encompasses her makes her appear isolated, this will feature a plethora of shots to speed the tempo of the video as the song becomes more frenetic, almost creating a visual crescendo.

02:00 - 02:10 - Close Up of girl's face who stumbles across something intriguing. Showing two angles - two from either side of her face through the use of a Jump Cut.

02:00 - 02:30 - Low Angle Shot that Pans around the girls face as she looks apprehensive whilst also bemused.

02:30 - 02:45 - Canted Angle taken from alleyway (which audience are not yet aware of) which captures her facial expression and also causes the audience to invest interest, the canted angle almost creates the illusion that another living creature is lurking in the alleyway.

02:45 - 02:58 - The camera remains at a Canted Angle, the girl walks towards the camera but focuses her attention on something beyond the camera and so does not make direct eye contact with the camera, which is essentially breaking the fourth wall.

02:58 - 03:45 - Montage of footage of the girl walking through the alleyway before discovering that she is being encompassed by a huge field that makes her look isolated/insignificant - a theme that is repeated throughout the text. This montage will comprise of Mid Shots, Long Shots/'Wide Shots, Close Ups and ECUs. 

03:45 - 04:14 - In this segment of the video the girl will come across a playground (hopefully the playground will be vacant, however, this is subject to change as it may be in use by other members of the public) she will be sat on a number of playground apparatus with a miserable expression, looking somewhat pensively into the distance. This creates a binary opposition between a playground/park - synonymous for children having fun - and the look of apprehension and anxiety on the young girls face which creates a character that subverts the usual stereotype of a child (happy, carefree, innocent etc.)  I intend (if possible) to Intercut a montage of the band into this comprising of some performance footage obtained from a gig, as this will allow for an image of the band to stick in the consumer's mind as well as the video/narrative itself.

04:14 - 4:30 - In this scene I want to include Match on Action similar to that included in the beginning of my feature - showing her entering the house again and going back to the note and re-reading it. A Jump Cut will be used to revert back to an ECU of the protagonists eyes and lateral movement of the pupils to denote that the girl is reading the note.

04:30 - 4:54 - To retain some ambiguity within the narrative, the girl will stare angrily at the note before scrunching it up (meaning the audience will still not know what was written on the note) - switching to an ECU of the girls curled fist as this is symbolic for strength, power and defiance. She will then drop the note into the bin - an ECU of her fist will be used to intensify the scene and, again, symbolize strength and resilience - a trait the girl lacked in the beginning of the video and so the ending features some extent of semiotics to serve as a barometer of how the protagonist/narrative has developed throughout the video.