Music Video Construction

Filming Day 2

The second day of filming went smoothly and finished early. All of the shots went to plan although some may need to be re-shot because of what appeared in the background.


It was during this shoot that I added in a few shots, including an extreme close up of Frankie closing her eyes and a quick tracking walk so that I had more footage to work with at the editing stage. I also did multiple spins during the circling segments so as to have an extended version at the end of the video.

Filming Day 1

Filming went successfully today. Everyone arrived slightly earlier than planned although we still did not get started until 2:15pm due to the sheer effort of getting the drum up the hill to the location.

After that, everything went largely as planned, with filming done roughly in the planned order. This meant that everything was covered quickly and efficiently although some oversights were made in terms of the closing of the song. In particular I did not gather enough shots of the rest of the band during the main guitar solo. However, I will simply have to replace this with shots of Frankie or re-shoot the band at a later date for these shots.



Also, my attempts at the moving camera were probably not as steady as they should have been. Unfortunately, I do not have the necessary equipment to do smooth swoops. However, the movements are as smooth as I could get them with the limited technology I had and I can quite easily inter-cut with other shots to make it look smoother.

Shooting Schedule

Day 1: Sunday 18^th September 2011

Hours: 2pm – 4pm

Location: King George’s Park

Weather: “Staying very unsettled with further sunshine and showers on Sunday.” Hopefully sunny during filming otherwise might have to postpone.

02.00 Arrive at King George’s Park.

2.15 Have all equipment at location and set up.

2.30 All instrument shots filmed

2.45 All entire band shots filmed

3.00 First verse filmed

3.15 Second verse filmed

3.30 Third verse filmed

3.45 Bridge filmed

4.00 Final shots filmed

4.10 Everything packed up and finished.

Cast: Steph Campbell, Tom Walker, Stephen Jenkins and Matthew Jenkins 

Cast Travel: Two cars

Crew Travel: Car

Parking: At King George’s Park, Bramcote.

Props and Equipment: Instruments (Microphone, Bass Guitar, Guitar, Drums), Camera, Tripod.

If filming is postponed or not finished, filming will re-commence Saturday 24^th September 2011.

Day 2: Monday 19^th September 2011

Hours: 1:20pm – 3:20pm

Location: Archer’s Field, Stapleford

Weather: White Cloud

1.20 Arrive at field

1.35 First verse filmed

1.45 Second verse filmed

1.55 Bridge filmed

2.05 Third verse filmed

2.15 Fourth Verse filmed

2.30 Second Bridge filmed

2.45 Final Bridge filmed

3.00 All filming finished. Continue if still need more footage otherwise pack up and leave.

3.20 Definitely finish filming and leave.

Cast: Francesca Burchill

Cast Travel: Walk

Crew Travel: Walk

Parking: N/A

Props and equipment needed: Camera, Tripod

If filming is postponed or not finished, filming will re-commence Monday 26^th September 2011

Risk Assessment

Safety is of the utmost importance whilst filming, so, I have created a risk assessment to deal with most of the potential risks.

What is the risk?	Who/ What is at risk?	What is the risk level?	What am I going to do to prevent the risk?
Dropping or damaging the camera throughout filming	The Camera	Medium	To prevent dropping the camera I will make sure that it is always screwed securely onto the tripod which will be either firmly on the ground or in my hands. When the camera is not in use, it will be placed within a protective case to stop any passive damage. However, because we are filming on relatively soft grass, this will cushion the fall should the camera drop.
Snapping or breaking the tripod during filming	The Tripod	Low	The tripod I am using is lightweight, but it is also sturdy. To prevent breaking it I will make sure that I always close it up correctly and that it is sturdy and upright when it is not in use.
Losing equipment	The equipment	Low	Despite filming in a field with relatively tall grass, it will be impossible to lose anything because the props are so big and they are the only pieces of equipment being used other than the camera and tripod. However, when filming is finished, we will make sure that all the equipment that we had at the start is collected at the end and, since the shoot is only taking place in one location, things should go very smoothly.
Damaging equipment	The equipment, mainly the drum	High	To get to the location, we will need to get the props up a bit of a hill. This might prove slightly difficult with an entire drum kit and this is where the danger is. This will be avoided by taking the instruments and the drum kit up a bit at a time.  Thereby not trying to carry too much which would most certainly lead to some instrument damage.

There is some potential danger to the cast and crew, like falling over. However, the locations are both on soft grass and so any injuries will be incredibly minor and there is very little I can do to prepare for them or to stop them.

Camera Angle Decisions

As can be seen from the animatic, most of the shots will be taken from the front, changing between long shot, mid shot, close up and extreme close up and will therefore require only varying degrees of zoom. However, due to the need for movement within the video, to "create a more dynamic feel to [the] performance" (Pete Fraser, Teaching Music Video, BFI, 2004) I will move around the areas below and stick firmly to those lines unless shots arise that are impossible to achieve in that formation.

In doing this, it encloses the performance and makes it appear more rigid and formal than the floaty, all over the place dream sequence. This makes the performance seem more serious and therefore makes the song's message come across more sternly.

During the dream sequence, there will be more interesting camera angles to "have a significant impact upon meaning" (Pete Fraser, Teaching Music Video, BFI, 2004) like a canted angle during the flower sequence:

This is because the interesting angles will further add to the dream like nature of the sequence due to their odd and seemingly impossible nature. These shot types would include the 360 degree circle in the overhead position which would be filmed by me hold the tripod out and then circling it around to capture the sky in the swoop. These shots will be the most difficult to shoot as they will require lots of takes to get them right, however, the final shots should look highly unique and interesting.

Costume

Costume is one of the key ways in which representations are created. Here are the plans for the costumes in my music video:



Left: The Girl in the Dream Sequence         Right: Steph




Left: Tom    Stephen could wear either costume.  Right: Matt








Props

For my music video I will only need four props: The instruments.


The microphone is perhaps the most important of the props as it will be seen in the majority of the shots within the video alongside the lead singer, Stephen. Its main use is to make it fully seem like Stephen is singing the song even thought it would still be obvious without. However, a band without a microphone would look incredibly bizarre as the other band members will have their instruments.

The two guitars will probably be seen equally as much throughout the video but certainly not as much as the microphone. The drums will be seen more due to the constant audible beat and snares that are heard throughout the song.

All of the instruments of highly important as they create authenticity within the video and "emphasise the realness of the performance" (Steve Archer, How To Study Music Video, 2004)."The miming of playing instruments that remains at the heart of music videos, as if to assure us that the band really can kick it” (Steve Archer, 2004)and this is one of the key messages that I wish to get across in my video: that the band are at their best when they're performing.

The only prop I need to get will be the microphone, however, this should not be too difficult considering the number in the School and College.

Casting

With indie/alternative rock, authenticity is vastly imporant and to create this, I need to use the members of the band in the music video.

Lead Singer: Stephen Jenkins

As he is the lead singer, Stephen will feature in the majority of the shots in the video because it is his voice on the song so he must be seen singing it.
Also, Stephen is a likable person and so will look like he is sincerely trying to help the female character in the video.

Lead Guitar: Tomas Walker

Tom is a much drier and more serious person in comparison to Stephen, so, his guitar sections will seem like a 'bad cop' approach to changing the female character compared to Stephen's more 'good cop' image.

One of the key points of costume for Tom will be his beanie hat. Tom always wears it and it is part of his visual identity and so, he has to be wearing it in the video.

Bass Guitar: Stephanie Campbell

Steph is the only girl in the band and she has an incredibly bubbly personality. As such, she usually wears quite bright colours and although these will be muted within the video, the brightness of Steph's costume and personality should be plainly obvious.

Drums: Matthew Jenkins

Matt is Stephen's younger brother and band mate. One idea could be to put them in similar costumes so as to show their relation but have the colour difference reflect their personalities.





The Girl: Francesca Burchill

For the character of the girl I needed a great actress and a naturally pretty girl, Frankie fits both of those criteria and was therefore perfect for the role. I have had previous experience working with Frankie as an actress in both the AS and the A2 preliminary tasks and she was excellent in both.

The decided costume for Frankie is a white/summery dress to depict a dream-like purity to the character with the long flowing hair for those interesting and dynamic shots.

Location Search

While an interesting location is not the most important aspect of the music video, it is incredibly important to get a location that fits the song. One of my key ideas was a field with relatively tall grass and I went to a number of locations to see their suitability.

One was this field of dead pea plants that was behind the Toton Power Grid. The field had a desolate but dynamic feel to it and would have been perfect had I been able to acquire permission to film there. I did phone up the council to find out who owned the land, but, they never got back to me. The field was also harvested and cleared of the tall plants on 14th/15th September and ceased being a feasible option.

While walking around Bramcote Hills Park I found this field which would have been suitable were it not for the mass of incredibly spiky plants and the sheer density of the flora. I was also unsure as to whether the location was publicly or privately owned which was another reason for my search to continue.

After some more searching, I came across this field in King George's Park, Bramcote. The field has the dynamism that I wanted from the main location, but it will also make filming a lot simpler. The grass is soft, unlike the other locations were the plants were spiky or hard and decaying, meaning there will be no risk of scratches on cast, crew or equipment. It also has a slightly romantic edge to it, although I initially wanted a more desolate area, it will make for a wonderful contrast between the muted colours and sound of the song and making a sort of link to the dream sequence. It is also a public location meaning I do not need to request permission to film there, a relief after no replies from the owner of the first field and other avenues (Nottingham University Campus, Chatsworth Arts Centre and Duchess Theatre).

For the dream sequence I needed a different type of field, one that was just green grass and easily accessed. A park nearby to College came to mind, Archer's Field, and it was perfect for the dream sequence.



It also has dandelions which can be used for the flower scenes in the video. It is also relatively quiet and should be perfect for filming as there will be few people using it. It also looks quite picturesque which will most definitely add to the dream nature of the sequence.

Magazine Advert Mock Up

Digipack Mock Up

Music Video Animatic and Director's Commentary

Here is the storyboard animatic for my music video to give a rough idea of how the video will flow and what shots I will need.


Director's Commentary Version:

Track and Permission

The track, 'Free' by Modern Winter, was selected for its highly unique sound and interesting message. While I was perfectly willing to accept whatever song the band wanted me to use, I am glad that they chose 'Free' because it has location hunting marginally simpler but it has also allowed me to use a number of interesting camera angles and has let me use a setting that will set it apart from numerous other videos.


Permission for usage of the song received 13th July 2011.


Due to the track's length, I will cut it down slightly to a more digestible 4:36 so as to keep the video going at a better pace.

The lyrics themselves are quite interesting and although the overall message is slightly ambiguous, the video will hopefully add to the ambiguity but also make the message obvious if it is thought about in conjunction with the lyrics.

"Nothing waits on you to break it through,
Sitting on the back corner making amends,
Nothing rights itself or breaks you down,
Wake up baby smell the fresh air where,
You will fend for yourself
You will fend for yourself
Yeah yeah yeah

Time will tell or it will make it stand,
Buying its way to the promised land,
Sitting all day making others frown,
Wake up baby smell the fresh air where,
You will fend for yourself
You will fend for yourself
Yeah yeah yeah

Sit around
All day long
Wait on me
I’ll set you free
Fight your way
To make the day
Free

Open doors and try to make it sound
Nothing’s coming around to the compound
Pictures showing up everywhere
Wake up baby smell the fresh air where,
You will fend for yourself
You will fend for yourself
Yeah yeah yeah

Nothing waits on you to break it through,
Sitting on the back corner are waiting men,
Nothing rights itself or breaks you down,
Wake up baby smell the fresh air where,
You will fend for yourself
You will fend for yourself
Yeah yeah yeah

Sit around
All day long
Wait on me
I’ll set you free
Fight your way
To make the day
Free

Sit around
All day long
Wait on me
I’ll set you free
Fight your way
To make the day
Free"

Music Video Brainstorm

Target Audience Questionnaire

One of the most helpful things in production is market research. To give me some guidance on some decisions for my music video, I conducted an Audience Questionnaire on Survey Monkey and helped me to focus on who was my Target Audience and what their thoughts were on different aspects of music videos.

Question 1: What gender are you?

This question was designed to see what slant the focus group had, even though the selection process was not completely random, so that the decisions made at the design stage were more in line with that gender's interests. The final result was that 60% of the group were male while only 40% were female. From this I now know that I need to keep my video relatively gender neutral, although, there will need to be some elements in the video that are more desired by men.

Question 2: Which of these consumer types is the most like you?

This question is based upon Young and Rubican's Four Consumers and it is a way of honing who exactly is my target audience. The results show that 85% of the focus group were either Mainstreamers or Reformers. This means that I will have to attempt to cater for two completely different audiences in the same video, although, in being unique, this may be completely possible.

Question 3: Which Value, Attitude and Lifestyle group suits you most?

This question is used for exactly the same purposes as Question 2.  The final results show that the majority of the focus group were either Fulfilleds or Strivers, meaning that they are either mature, comfortable and reflective, valuing knowledge, order and responsibility and basing their decisions on principles or they desire approval from those around them, trying to emulate those who have more and wish for what is usually out of reach and are impulsive and unsure of themselves. Once again, the two most popular groups are vastly different, but, the message that the song I am using will allow me to create a video that caters to both.

Question 4: Which group do you feel suits you best in the LifeMatrix?

The final question about audience is based on the LifeMatrix. My initial thoughts were for my Target Audience to be a mix of Tribe Wireds and Fun/Atics and the focus group fit this projection particularly well with 60% of them fitting into one of the two categories. This means that my video will have to appeal to the digital, free-spirited and creative as well as the aspirational, fun-seeking and active youth, meaning that my video will have to have a decent pace and some fun and creative elements within it.

Question 5: What aspects of music videos do you find to be the most important?

This question started a string of questions about music videos and it was the key question in my focus on music videos. The three highest scoring aspects of videos were Uniqueness, a Narrative Element and a Performance Element with the Narrative having a 5% lead on Performance meaning that there should be a slightly greater pull on the narrative aspect of the video. Surprisingly, the focus group wanted there to be an equal focus upon the Singers and the Instruments during the Performance elements and this is something that I will have to address in the final music video. The least important aspect was an interesting location. This could suggest that as long as the other elements are excellent, the location does not matter as much.

Question 6: What are some of your favourite music videos and why?

Include a YouTube link if possible.

One of the things I wanted to discover most was whether I had been looking at the right videos for my music video and to see whether my focus group believed there were other videos that better as well as what they found to be the most enjoyable parts of videos. Most of the words used to describe their reasons were like "original" or "fitting" or "unique" and these are all reasons that I want to apply to my own video. Some interesting and helpful responses included:
"Dirty Little Secret" by The All-American Rejects

“The video is just fitting and I like how they have lots of people exposing secrets. Quite a simple video also.”

"Giving Up the Gun" by Vampire Weekend
"Because I like the originality of the video."

"The Ballad of Mona Lisa" by Panic! At The Disco
“Panic! At The Disco's is a personal favourite of mine, telling a story that has a deeper meaning than appears.”

"You and I" by Lady Gaga
"Because it makes no sense, and I love watching it over and over to try and understand it."

Question 7: What sort of costume and props would you expect to see in a Rock music video?

While I knew my own expectations of Rock music videos, I wanted to see if my focus group agreed with those. The results are pretty much as expected. Costume should be jeans and a t-shirt, usually darkish colours and the props should be just the instruments. This means that this is what my own music video should use even if it requires little costume and prop planning. Responses to the question included:

• “A Rock music can contain anything it wants, there are no limits. All in all, it depends on the style of the individual band members. To generalise, you're looking at jeans, maybe skinny. Many wear black, or dark colours, Band T-shirts are also popular.”
• “Guitars, drums, vocalist, usually dark and blackish outfits”
• “Trendy clothing and props wise I would expect guitars, drums ect.”
• “Depends on the type of rock. The lighter stuff band mechendise t shirts and both bright and dark contrasting colours. However in heavier rock generally black and dark colours and ominous styled props.”
• “Skinny Jeans, Flashy things, Good Hair”

Question 8: Do you prefer literal music videos or slightly more abstract music videos and why?
The final question was to see whether I needed to change my slightly abstract idea for my music video to match the needs of my target audience. Thankfully, the majority of the group preferred Abstract videos, with fourteen out of the twenty choosing that as their option for a variety of reasons including:

• "Sometimes it fits and sometimes the lyrics may not be the best and you may prefer the guitar solos or something, so sometimes it's better to have something abstract.”
• “It makes you question the video more and therefore engages the audience”
• “As they are not following the lyrics of the song but on what the song sound like.”
• “They are different to others and make you think more about the song and meanings etc.”
• “As they usually are more creative, unique and not generic.”
• “Normally more abstract videos that are still relevant to the song, otherwise they come across as incongruent (for example, Bon Jovi's 'Always') or pretentious.”
• “Abstract, it gives the viewer to interpret the video and relate it to him or her self. making a stronger connection to the song and the video. it makes you think about your life and its as if these people understand what you are going through”

However, there were some who thought otherwise. Only one person preferred literal videos, based upon an ideal of authenticity, and two suggested that both types of video were good if they were 'pulled off correctly' or 'linked back to the song'.

Overall, my questionnaire has helped me define my Target Audience has Mainstreamers and Reformers who are either Fulfilleds or Strivers that fit into the Tribe Wired/Fun/Atics LifeMatrix system. It has also pointed out what my video needs to focus upon as well as confirming costumes and props and proving the reasons why people enjoy music videos.