First Cut/First Shoot

The shots in the video are the result of my first shoot and are an incredibly vague insight into how my video will end up - I still need to take into consideration narrative theories and adaptations such as colour correct and lighting in order for the video to be completely finished and seen as a marketable product that will represent the band's brand identity in a positive way.

This is the (unfinished) first draft of my video and upon review it is clear that it needs a significant amount of changes in order for it to gain top marks and give the artist any credibility. The video is unfinished and so needs enough footage to fill the entire song, this is probably the first problem that needs to be addressed. Secondly, in certain parts of the video (notably 00:40 - 01:20) the video clearly lacks continuity as a result of lax directing and poor editing - these are problems that will have to be rectified in my second shoot.

It is also apparent that many of my shots are very prolonged which is a direct result of poor editing - I should have cut these to make them shorter so that I could intercut with a plethora of other shots to keep the video interesting, as upon feedback from my teacher I found out that despite the fact the footage fit well in time with the music (cutting took place in time with the guitar riffs and the drum loops) the video dragged on and was quite slow and predictable which made it boring to watch. My teacher, however, did comment on how he liked the mise en scene (locations and the way the girl is presented as isolated through the fields) and also the props such as the coat she wears - which as I said I wanted to use to make the video somewhat comparable (analogous) to "The A Team" by Ed Sheeran. It was also brought to my attention that when the typography is displayed on the screen during the opening sequence (reading "The Fight by The Case: Edited, Directed and Produced by Joe Grogan") it should be displayed in the same typography as the typography used on the digipak and magazine poster/advert to make the video more authentic.

My main priority is collating enough footage on premier to be able to fill the song - my teacher said (as I suspected) is better to have surplus footage than a lack of footage as it gives me more creative freedom if I have more footage to work with. We decided it would be a good idea to film the subject scrunching the note (which she is seen reading at 00:15 seconds onwards) and throwing it in anger using a combination of ECUs close-ups and mid shots (I pondered the idea of a canted angle) to work concurrently with when the song culminates - when the guitars get louder and become more distorted and the vocals become more aggressive. My teacher also informed me that I may need to use Premier Pro software or After Effects in order to tweak the lighting in some scenes as at times the lighting of the video makes the video appear dull.

Locations

In terms of locations, they must adhere to the themes/codes and conventions I am employing in my video, so I have chosen to use a plethora of locations scattered around where I live, in Iver/Iver Heath. These areas comprise of very open landscapes that will only reinforce the insignificance of the protagonist in my narrative, which is a theme in the song which I intend to emphasise as much as possible. I am also going to film in a series of cul de sacs to obtain footage. This is essentially an extended metaphor for what the protagonist is enduring throughout the narrative. By using residential areas and fields open to the public I am being sure to avoid incurring extra costs, for example, London Underground have the right to charge £300 for a two hour permit, which would have adverse effects on other areas of my music video i.e. the mise en scene and props etc. Therein, I have taken a more frugal approach to my film making, not only because it will save me money but because the locations I am using seem more suitable for the content of my narrative.

This is a shot of the front of the house that will be used to film the opening/end scenes and also used for the establishing shots, it also sets the scene and gives a brief insight into the life of the young girl - it is set in a cul de sac in a suburban area in a house that connotes that she is a fairly ordinary middle class young girl. This goes someway to describe the socioeconomic background of the girl and gives the audience a concise insight into her everyday life. I will adapt this by adding a series of effects such as low key lighting to place an emphasis on the melancholy theme of the video through the use of some editing software (Adobe Photoshop).

This shot emphasises the fact that the next shot is likely to take place inside the house which causes the viewer to invest interest. It also gives the reader an insight into the socioeconomic background/class - indicating that she is a young middle class girl who lives in a suburban area. This also sets the scene for the beginning of the video preventing confusion - it also effectively discloses roughly what time of day it is (morning/afternoon) and that it is not late in the evening. However, despite the fact it is not late in the evening I will be using after effects to tweak the lighting making it more low-key, giving the video a slightly more sinister effect.

This location/shot emphasises the distance of the walk and gives a very good perspective, this effect will only make the subject/actor appear more diminutive and more isolated, which is an effect that I am aiming to achieve as in my video one of the main themes is isolation and melancholy. By using low-key lighting and more open areas (in less industrial locations) the locations will seem somewhat more bleak and bare which, again, is an effect I am striving to achieve as I believe it is relative to the ideologies in the song. This shot in conjunction with a high angle shot will reinforce

Likewise, the use of a cul de sac to play on the notion of perspective will help emphasise the lonely connotations in the video and create the illusion of making the subject more diminutive than they actually are, constructing meaning through the use of lonely, frail and weak/insignificant connotations. The fact that the girl walks through these seemingly obscure and secluded locations reinforces the idea that she is dealing with rejection from a lover or a friend, and feels she has been ostracised as a result.

These locations are going to be made more gloomy by utilising specific tools on Premiere during the post production process, most notably a black and white effect and using the colour correct tools. The field itself also looks quite sinister and due to the magnitude of the environment, it will help me achieve the effect I want of making the girl appear smaller and more isolated, lonely.

I certainly intend to include various close ups and ECUs in order to capture the expression of the girl in order to convey the girls emotions more clearly, allowing the audience to empathize with her - ambiguity is a feature of my video, but this principle cannot be stretched too far or else it will lead to confusion and I will not be able to build meaning through my camera work.

This alleyway plays a key part in my narrative: it serves as a means of escapism for the girl (and hopefully for the audience when taking into account the uses and gratifications theory) and shows her stumbling upon a large open field in which she feels she can run which serves as a means of catharsis and hedonism she hasn't had. This, again, will represent the importance of binary opposites in my video showing the contrast in the girl's mood. The heavy foliage in the alleyway is another reason I chose it to shoot this particular scene - there is certainly something very mysterious about the alleyway and it comes across as obscure, it will also look far more intriguing when adding contrast on Premiere Pro and also colour correcting it - this will show it in a more low-key manner which is another feature I am aiming to emphasize in the video. By filming in more accessible, realistic locations it renders the video with a sense of verisimilitude/realism which is exactly what I want - similar to the music video "Robbers" by The 1975 directed by Tim Mattia - it is this rawness, this strong and completely undisguised method of production that interests me and so I will be referring to such videos as an archetype, almost as a basis to my music video. This could be seen as a sort of intertextuality,: the meaning of my text is being shaped by elements of another, a notion introduced and advocated by Julia Kristeva.

This bleak field will work fantastically well in conjunction with after effects such as higher levels of contrast and possibly low key lighting. The field signifies negative connotations and embodies some of the metaphors in the song such as pain, misery and dulness/lack of youth - this field severely lacks vegetation and is exposed to the elements.

Animatic

This is the animatic for my video in order to give me a rough guideline as to cuts and timings and also as to whether the song fits with my narrative/codes and conventions/ideologies. I will have to synchronise the cutting in conjunction with the beat of the drum and guitar riff - thus establishing smooth transitions between the visuals and audio to make more sense of the video and make it somewhat more aesthetic and easier to watch.

I am content with the content/narrative of the video and feel it is analogous with Ed Sheeran's video for the A Team (which I feel has a slightly similar narrative to my video in terms of isolation etc. and monochrome visual effects) which is arguably subverting a convention as Sheeran is an indie artist, however, other artists of a similar genre such as Guns N' Roses have also produced videos using this monochrome effect such as "Sweet Child O' Mine" and "Paradise City", although these are both performance videos, and so it could be argued that I am subverting conventions which I will go into depth about when producing my evaluation. This is essentially collating footage over the audio without having to actually film or do any production work which gives me a head start in producing my video.

Despite the fact that in my actual video I will ensure cuts are conducted over drum beats and guitar riffs to maintain smooth transitions and establish a relationship between the audio and the visuals, the transitions are not quite as smooth as there will be far more shots used in my actual video as this is just a rough guideline for me - many of the different segments of the storyboard represent two or maybe three different shots that will be used.

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.

Magazine Advert Analysis: U2

This advert/poster is an old advert that was used to promote famous rock band U2's album "War" - which was incredibly political and one of their first album that documented the atrocities of war and invasion. Before I go into any major detail about the album, one thing that immediately amazed me was that throughout the digipaks and adverts I have analysed there has certainly been one commonality that unites them all: the concept of minimalism. This album takes that notion to a whole new level and actually compels me with how basic yet impactful the cover is: the rich red against the black and white/monochrome background appears incredibly pleasing on the eye and does the main thing that the advert is meant to do - sell the album. This album does that incredibly well with no fancy editing techniques, the red typography connotes blood due to the name of the album (War) and it is in bold font with no serifs or fancy text which as I said previously, encapsulates a minimalist approach to a digipak/advert so well. I find this advert so truly captivating that I am genuinely considering experimenting with black and white backgrounds and striking red, bold, basic fonts myself.

Also, the boy featured on the front manifests a very dissatisfied expression and consumes the majority of the frame to denote importance. To reinforce the importance of the boy the background has clearly been more blurred in order to make it more difficult to decipher and draw more attention to the boys facial expression and ensure people are able to recognise his youth. The album also encourages sympathy from the audience as there is a visible cut on the boys lip which connotes that he is a victim of war, corruption and the injustice that haunted the world at the time and the band clearly wanted to convey this message to people buying the album - a prime example of how people can set an agenda and get people to buy into an ideology: the consumers may just happen to like the music itself and be completely passive to the ideas and agendas in the album but by marketing/promoting the album successfully through magazine adverts the band can get people who are unaware of what they are buying to buy something solely on the aesthetics and audio thus allowing the band to bombard them with their ideologies that the audience will subconsciously consume - which makes reference to the hypodermic needle theory.

The text is placed further to the right of the frame in order to give the boy the majority of the frame when taking into account the rule of thirds as the boy takes up roughly two thirds of the frame. In addition to this, the band's name and the album name are the only text featured on the advert, which again contributes to the band'd idea of minimalism but the very rich red makes it stand out incredibly well over the background. I also feel that having an advert that uses the same image as the album cover is a huge benefit to the band as it gives them an identity and it gives the album as a whole and as a project a feel of cohesion and organisation that allows the band to market it as an actual brand, something that will be recognised on an advert or a digipak which opens up opportunities for other merchandise e.g. t shirts.

Also, the pose in which the boy finds himself reveals his slight, diminutive figure which connotes weakness and evokes sympathy from the audience especially when taking into account the social historical context of the album (war and invasion). All in all I was incredibly impressed with the advert and will look to incorporate many of it's ideas into my own products (ancillary texts) for the band I am producing for who are also a rock band. This will bring elements of "Pastiche" and "Bricolage"into the production process of my ancillary texts and I will look to gain extra marks as a result.

Magazine Advert Analysis: Arctic Monkeys

The following magazine advert is an old magazine advert used to promote Arctic Monkey's then up-and-coming album "Humbug".  The advert uses many minimalist features such as it's colour scheme: it uses simple colours such as black and white which connotes that the band are focused on making music rather than producing lavish marketing materials. The bold, white typography against the jet black background makes the band name appear striking and unmissable, it is in fact the first thing the audience see when viewing it. In addition to this it has included reviews from reputable music magazine  companies such as NME and Q which gives the band some credibility. It is also important to not the positioning of the bands text/typography: It is in incredibly large font and is centralised in relation to the confines of the frame, making it the focal point of the advert. This is different from some other adverts/digipaks I have analysed, as some have chosen to put the bands name in either the top left/top right hand corner. Interestingly, the image featured on the digipak has not been featured on this particular magazine advert which could be seen as subverting a convention in some way as normally the magazine advert is expected to feature the same image as the digipak (album cover) which is depicted below:

As you can see, the "Humbug" album itself features a very different image on the front which is quite peculiar and probably something I will avoid doing with my own magazine advert as I believe it builds an identity for that particular album and just generally prefer the digipaks and adverts to be synchronous.

Also noticeable is the stars that are featured above both the magazine companies respectively - it is clear that they are not too big but also not too small and are a good size, otherwise it would risk the advert looking ostentatious which would completely subvert the minimalist approach the band are trying to convey. Something that I also fin bemusing is the fact that the band have used two different fonts in both their digipak and magazine advert - this makes the album artwork overall less iconic in my opinion. As is common with many rock bands and their typography, the band have used serifs in some of the letters in their magazine advert which is something I should consider.

The image on the advert uses a white border to distinguish it from the rest of the advert and draw attention to it - the use of white over black helps to ensure that certain details are noticed and that they appear clear and easy to decipher. Also, at the bottom of the advert in smaller but still bold typography are the words "New Album" to catch the audiences attention and entice them to read the reviews for the album which (as previously mentioned) have been published by some very credible and respectable music magazines.

Progress Update

As I have changed my idea from a performance video to a pure narrative video, I have decided to analyse some music videos that contain features similar to my intended narrative: music videos that feature children and identify what some of the codes and conventions of these videos are. I will also be analysing the way in which these singles/bands were marketed as research to inform my ancillary texts, therein, I will be analysing merchandise produced for bands such as Blind Melon, Ugly Kid Joe and even artists who do not target the same demographic as my chosen band such as Kanye West because despite the fact the genre of music and target demographic differs, it will still allow me to gain an insight into how the use of camera, sound, mise en scene and editing change when featuring young actors and how these work in tandem with Andrew Goodwin's ideologies. This research will certainly inform the way I design my ancillary texts and how I structure my music video when producing my rough cuts. It will also allow me to come to a decision as to whether I want the video to be an open or closed structure in terms of it's narrative.

I will take inspiration from Andrew Goodwin's theories of how a music video can link back directly to the narrative. One of his theories postulates that the three elements that enable the song to correlate with the video:

Amplification
Illustration 
Disjuncture

Illustration

Illustration is frequently used in music videos so that the visuals work in conjunction with the song lyrics, and it is one of the most important concepts in a music video as the literal meaning in a song can be translated directly onto the screen to help people further comprehend the meaning of the song. This will certainly inform the production my video and the narrative will encapsulate the essential meaning in the song. This will mean that the video generally will follow the narrative in the song closely. For example when the lyrics "I've got to run away" are sung I intend to use shots of a young actor running through a field or a playground

Amplification

This is essentially repeatability, exaggeration to ensure that the concepts/conventions elicited through the camera, sound, editing and mise en scene are made clear to the audience. For example, in the Arctic Monkeys' "When the Sun Goes Down" the narrative in the video amplifies the theme of prostitution and this is made clear through the way in which the video is constructed i.e. camera, sound, editing and mise en scene. The girl in question is shown to be wearing very lackluster clothing when seeking clients, and is shown to be manipulated by sordid men in secluded locations after agreeing a deal when she is scantily clad.

Disjuncture

This is when there is a clear discrepancy between what is being presented on screen and the narrative in the song - these videos often make very little sense but create meaning through adapting the codes and conventions and using abstract imagery to convey ideologies. Disjuncture often means that a completely different meaning to what is featured in the narrative is conveyed and the video is often steeped in irony. These videos can give the song more exposure and make the artist more reputable.This subversion in the narrative is entirely intentional and is a method that has been employed by a number of artists to attract attention to their work.