First Rough Edit

This is my first rough edit, it still needs neatening up, cutting to the beat, and some new scenes.

The Shooting Begins

I have begun shooting my movie, and have realised, as it goes along that some things may need to be changed, in order to make it possible, and also to improve. I have introduced a stop motion at the introduction of the video, before the music even starts, it is a drawing of the first scene, where they create a match on action to eachother. I have already created the opening scene, with my protagonist standing in the field. Rather than an hour it took 10 minutes, as we had to pay attention to the risks as shown in the risk assessment, and it was a very cold day. I have begun editing the video I have already collected.

24. Risk Assessment

Throughout my previous posts I have included certain elements that could prove to be hazardous during filming. Here is a full risk assessment for my music video.

The Road: When shooting the lemonade stand at the side of the road we will have to be in complete darkness with no headlights for a split second. I will need to make sure I am on a quiet road, where there are no cars or pedestrians that this will affect.

Risk Level: Moderate

Equally I will have to make sure my main character is placed on the road in a safe place, such as on the pavement so that if a vehicle does come he is not in danger.

Risk Level: Moderate

The Elements: As we have now entered November, winter is clearly on its way, this morning was the first frost, meaning the temperature has dropped. I must beware of icy ground in all of my shots as this could lead to somebody slipping and falling.

Risk Level: Moderate

I will need to take precaution whilst taking my first shot of my character stood in a field, sped up, that he does not get too cold, as this can lead to hypothermia, especially if he is stood still.

Risk Level: Low

1. I will monitor this closely

2. I will have myself and another monitoring

AREA / ACTIVITY ASSESSED                                                                                                  DATE ASSESSED

What are the hazards?	Who might be harmed?	How severe could the harm be? A	What controls are in place?	How likely is an accident? B	Risk Rating A x B	What extra controls are needed?	Who will action the extra controls?	When will they be in place?	Initial when complete. New Risk Rating?
The Road	Driver Director Protagonist	Serious  2 More than 3 days off.	Road Safety Stay on Pavement Quiet Road Visibility	Med.     2 Likely	3-4 REVIEW 1	Take road safety procedures	Director	During Filming
The Elements	Director Protagonist	Mild 1	Keep Moving Warm Clothes Hot Drinks	Slim 1	1-2 Fine	None	-	-

RISK ASSESSMENT CONDUCTED BY:- Maud Start

SIGNATURE:- Maud Start



23. Props and Costumes

Props and Costumes on Prezi



This is a prezi I have created, to show which props and costumes I will be using in my music video, along with a brief description, enjoy!

22. My Beautiful Cast

GABRIEL McCOOK

Age 17

Scotland

I have chosen to use Gabriel McCook as my main protagonist in my music video, due to his interesting look. I feel he carries about him the air of a 'tortured soul', if he were a character from literature it would be easy to compare him to 'Heathcliff' from Wuthering Heights, due to his endless supply of paradoxical wit, and his capacity of knowledge, not forgetting his incredible ability to love. These are the qualities I would really like my main character to have. On the plus side, Gabriel and I live very close together, and have virtually the same timetables, which will prove convenient during filming. Though I am sure Gabriel is a great actor, he does not take drama, but this will not be problematic as the role does not require acting skills, merely great patience while shooting the beginning scene, as it requires an hour long standing completely still. I have every faith that Gabriel will excel at this particular task.

ELLA BROLLY

Age 17

Ireland

Although the female protagonist appears rarely in the video, she is still a vital character, and who better to play it than Ella Brolly!? She is a beautiful, bubbly character, always up for a good time, and will inject the perfect balance of life into my video. She appears in the chorus, when the two are dancing in masks and in the sparkler scene. Throughout this we will not get a chance to see her face, but as she is a top dancer, receiving some of the highest AS dance results in Britain, it is clear that I could not have chosen a better girl to dance in my video.

21. Location, Location, Location

I have planned where I will be shooting my video, this is a vital part of the production process, as the setting can really impact the outcome of the film. I will be shooting most of the footage in my home town, Findhorn. It is a very picturesque area, with green areas of land and a beautiful beach and bay. It is also a relatively quiet area, where I will not be disturbed whilst shooting my footage. This is vital as I intend to do an hour long shot of my protagonist, and I will need to have an empty area, without people and their pets. It is also relevant to mention that I must shoot my video in a short period of time, as it is autumn, on the edge of winter, and the leaves are beginning to turn brown and fall, and the snow is on its way.

This is the field in which I will shoot the majority of my footage, including:
the beginning scene of the boy standing,
the dancing people in masks,
The lemonade stand, and the lemonade glasses
The lemonade stand lit by the torch
The people holding the sparklers

The Bickens Field- Findhorn

This is the road where I will shoot the car scene. It is important that the road is not busy, as this could prove dangerous for my main protagonist, who sits at the side, the people in the car, and people in other cars, as it may prove a distraction. This road leads only to the beach, and people do not frequent visits to the beach at night time, so it will be safe. Cars also drive very slowly here, as the speed limit is 15mph, so there is little chance of an accident.

This is the beach, where I will shoot my final scenes, of the lemonade stand in the ocean. As it is winter I will have to be careful of the temperature.

Findhorn Beach

20. Shot List and Shooting Script

Here I have created this shot list, which shows which shots appear next to which lyrics, below each picture is a brief explanation of the editing and cinematography I will use.

Some parts will be repeated, for instance the chorus will be repeated with the same shot, also the boy in fast motion, standing still, will be repeated throughout each instrumental during the track, I have not put this on my shot list, as I know exactly what needs to happen, as it is just repeated.

19. Animatic- With Sound

ANIMATIC

I have created this animatic, using pictures that I have drawn, and some from the internet. This animatic will now allow me to see which shot goes where against the song, and also gives me the layout I need showing me which shots I am going to have to take. Although it is timed to the song, and all the shots are ones that I would like to take, this animatic is still open to a slight change, depending on the validity on the shots I manage to get. This animatic will now be very useful in the rest of my planning, as I now have a base to my video.

18. 5 sections from my video

I have planned 6 main sections of my video, sections that add interest and variety to my video. I have created a storyboard for each. My story only follows a vague narrative structure, however there are strict themes that relate each shot to eachother, for instance light and dark are a recurring theme throughout, as Cocorosie talks of dark experiences and her dark past in her song, and I want to show the contrast of this.

This shows one of my editing techniques, a graphic match, using different coloured lemonade glasses. On top of this the clips have been sped up, to show the ice melting, and the movement of the straw as a result of this.

My video plays largely with the elements 'light' and 'dark', here we see the contrast between the light an dark. The lemonade stand is shown, using a simple shot, however is lit with torchlight, picking out certain elements of the boy and the stand to focus on. The same 'lit up' technique can be found later on in the track as well, on numerous occassions.

Here is another play on light and dark. A close up of the sparkler will be used to show light, moving to a bokeh effect, blurring the light. A long shot will be used to introduce the characters and there role 'holding the light'.

This is one of the main scenes, as it plays over the chorus. Although it is shot in a light open setting, it seems scary as the props I will use are these large masks, blurring the lines of reality. A graphic match will be used to show the mask and the lip sync.

Another play on light and dark. A dark screen will be shown, then will suddenly be lit with headlights, the camera is inside the car. As the car begins to move slowly, the camera stays still inside the car, until the lemonade seller comes into view at the side of the road. The car will then noticably stop, the headlights will click off, returning us to darkness.

STOP MOTION

I have created this stop motion, which I may or  may not use in my final video. I tried to link the images with the lyrics so I have used a lemonade stand, and seven children almost getting hit by a lightening strike. This was my first ever stop motion, and I thought it was successful, apart from the camera did not always stay in the same place, giving a jerky, uneven feel.

17. Story Arc

I have created a prezi to show the story arc of my music video. As it purposely does not follow a strong narrative structure I have used the key scenes to create an idea of the vague narrative that my video will follow. It includes editing effects that help to inspire the story. There are also some great inspirational videos from Radiohead, and a stop motion. Enjoy!

Story Arc on Prezi

16. Key Elements- Check List

DEFINE KEY ELEMENTS

To conform to my genre of 'Freak Folk'

1. Interesting costume, to match the feel of the song, costume must be planned to stir up emotion, whether it be fear, laughter, confusion or wonder.

CHECK?

2. Must have some form of narrative, however vague it may be. Narrative must be in some way associated with the lyrics and ideas of the song.
3. Editing must be closely matched to the beat of the song, in order to create a sense of unity between video and track. Interesting editing is preferable, eg. stop motion, graphic match or fast/slow motion.
Below: Example of excellent fast motion...
Yes Yes Yall In from Do it for the girls on Vimeo.

To conform to expectations of my Audience

1. Must be 'different' to other music videos, whether they are in the same genre. Must have an element of something never done before. In editing or in the ideas presented.

2. Must contain an element of mystery and individuality, which is why I have chosen characters that hold these qualities.
3. They want to see something that they have never seen before
4. They want elements of shock, so I will use editing techniques, surprising, weird storylines and characters to create this feel.

CHECK?

5. It must be somewhat relatable to my audience, so I must dive into history and pick out artefacts that have worked before in music video with audiences similar to my target audience. This includes the MISE EN SCENE- I will use interesting costume, such as frill shirts and chivalric jackets, as well as the large masks. To add reality to the surrealism.

6. The cinematography must be eye catching and exciting, must conform to either of the extremes, very exciting and witty, or dull and sombre, to appeal to my audience members.
7. Editing must be quick and quirky, to the beat of the song giving a sense of timelessness.


Like this video below, by DoitfortheGirls Productions.

Secret Someones from Do it for the girls on Vimeo.

What is expected in my video

CHECK?

1. Must conform to what my audience members want, so I will tick off everything above to conform to them., even if my target audience is a very slim selection of people.

2. The video must do justice to the track, so the editing must be directly in time with the beat of the song.

3. The costume must be quirky, this counts with the props too, as they all make up a majority of the atmosphere in my video.

4. There must be aspects of reality in the video, so that the audience can relate to it. This is why I am using normal everyday scenes, such as the lemonade selling stand, mixed with the huge masks to combine realism and surrealism to create a postmodernist approach to prop and costume design., surprising, weird storylines and characters to create this feel.

Costume will mixing between eras, like this, giving an underlying sense of far away reality



15. Animated Video

I have decided the shots I am going to shoot for my music video, drawn them out roughly, and added them over the soundtrack on animoto.com. This way I know how much I am going to have to film, and which specific shots I will need to use. I have worked it out so that there is 5 main events happening, but they all run along the same theme. There is no particular narrative evident in my music video, but this is intentional, as the song has no dominating storyline. Instead we have glimpses of the main character, a lemonade seller (as the song is called lemonade) selling his lemonade in strange, abnormal ways, such as at the side of the road at night. This matches the ominous lyrics of the song, with its unpredictable atmosphere. There is also recurring shots that introduce another character, female, however we do not see her face, as the two are wearing masks and dancing eerily.
I think that although I could not choose the time frames on animoto, the random feel injects a very interesting atmosphere to the video.

14. Lyrics and Shots

Here is a general idea of what shots I am going to use with the lyrics of my song. It gives me an idea of how much I am going to need to shoot and what shots I will need to use, however it is only a very generalized plan. 

1. Instrumental

3. No more breathing timeAn ambulance sped
It sped round every corner
Calling out his name

4. Shot a rabbit from the back seat window
Sat and watched in the summer corn row

8. How they shimmer, how they glimmerThose butterflies

9. We seven kids, we almost diedNearly put to death 

10. By a lightening strike

11. Instead there was hot pink
Flashes in the sky
We climb the rocks in snowing rain
In search of magic power

12. Instrumental

13. To heal our Mothers pain

14. Instrumental

15. Shot a rabbit from the back seat window
Sat and watched in the summer corn row

5. Ate icecream in a desert dreamGot love in father seeing you
Too hot inside to hot outside
Lazy days when you said just go for a ride
We'll sail on Spirit Lake,
Me, my pappy, and his lemonade





13. Institution Research

When researching institutions that may produce, distribute and exhibit my film, I had to search for producers of similar videos to mine. This is what I found....

DO IT FOR THE GIRLS

http://www.doitforthegirls.com/

Carl Peterson owns a production company called 'Do it for the Girls'. The company deals with areas of fashion, film, music video, design and artist management. A majority of their main clients typically have similar genres to the song I am using 'Lemonade', the genre being folk, freak folk and soft hip hop.
Some past clients of theirs include
The Film Company
Johanna Kunin
and
Moorea Malatt

Here is a prezi to show my research and findings, including some of the previous music videos by 'Do it for the Girls':

Do it for the Girls on Prezi

12. Secondary Research

I looked on the Channel4/4music website to see the breakdown of audiences. In the sales section I found some information about the gender of audience and the percentage.

Channel 4- Audience Breakdown

It claims that their audience is female leading, and the majority is centres in the age category of 16-24. This is similar to what I am expecting my own music videos audience to be like, with a young audience, and it is very possible that it will be more popular with females.

Young Audiences:
4music research brought up information about their young audiences, this is as follows:

Females are significantly more likely to spend money on clothes and socialising whereas males are more likely to spend on gadgets and computer games. 

Males are significantly more likely to be engaging with online activity. 

BBC1 and E4 are the two most popular channels for 14-19 year olds

iPlayer and 4oD are the most popular TV services for watching/downloading programmes on demand. 

Future financial stability and job prospects were a worry for all, even the younger age groups, triggered by the current economic climate.

Cyber bullying and issues of cyber safety were big concerns for girls. 

Boys were particularly concerned about personal hygiene.

 This gives the business a broken down overview to help them understand young people, by looking at the facts, this will give them better opportunity to market their products and music. This data is the product of 1800 Internet interviews.

E4 is linked to 4music, so this breakdown of research will be directly linked to 4 music. It shows the breakdown on a chart using figures, giving us a closer insight into the relations in the gender and age of audience members.

E4 Audience Breakdown

These figures contrast predominantly with the figurative research for Film4, where studies show that there is a much stronger male than female audience.

Film4 Audience Breakdown

When side by side we can see the clear difference in audience choice between E4, which is linked to 4music, and Film4, with the gender separation, however the age stays in the same category.
I can apply this to my own music video, as it seems that the results for the E4 research will be almost parallel to my own video. The correlations seen in these studies are very interesting and useful for my music video as I now know who to target my video at, as I can see who the main audience is for music videos, (predominatly female 16-24's). This audience is what I expected and I feel that I have chosen a successful song that will appeal to both the gender and the age.

11. My Perfect Audience Member

The website http://www.findyourtribe.co.uk/ has a quiz which helps to determine which UK tribe you are a part of, I answered this quiz trying to keep the qualities and ideals of my target audience in mind.  The website looks at youth culture and offers a tribal breakdown based on the 'social glues' (music, sport, fashion. technology etc) around which young people gather. The website proves successful at finding the target market for businesses as the research is real, genuine, close up, and it avoids the generalisations  which often inform such studies.
For questions such as 'Which newspapers do you read?' I answered 'Any local paper' and 'What do you do on a night out?' 'Go to a gig'. These answers are what I feel the audience for my music video generally would have said. At the end of the quiz the tribe that matched the answers I gave was 'Craft Kid', a creative, independently social character with an artistic approach to life. I feel that generally this is an accurate estimate.


My Audience member: (a break down)
1. Clothes: Anything picked up from the local thrift store, customised slightly to their tastes, topped with a range of accessories from topshop. Boots, either doc martins or snow boots, that they got for Christmas two years ago from a 'cold concious' grandmother, this can be replaced by a pair of spiky heels in the evening. Scarfs are a must have, often two at once and dresses are very commonly worn particularly in the autumn and spring seasons, average length: knee. The same goes for any male audience members, minus the heels.

Mmm... Pomegranate

Vegetable Crisps

2. Food: A majority of my audience will be strictly vegetarian, either from birth, or just a painful phase, prompted by a TV program they were sucked into last week. Tofu is never a favourite, so veg and fruit are vital in this equation, especially pineapple and pomegranate. A bag of salted peanuts are consumed weekly, minimum, that necessary protein with added unhealth. If they are not vegetarian, popular dishes include, Indian, Mediterranean, take out and puddings are a speciality. Favourite snacks are those vegetable crisps you can get from tescos.
3. Music: The music they listen to will vary completely with their mood or the people around them. On a sad day, when the leaves are starting to fall and they have just received a phone call with disappointing news, they'l pop a bit of Cat Power onto their stereo, then as this enhances the solemn atmosphere, they will move to the living room to clumsily play a song on the piano, which needs tuning. On a happy day, MGMT will be heard booming from open windows, and some audible singing along, out of tune. Cocorosie will of course be a favourite, teamed closely by the Fleet Foxes, which they have learnt of the guitar, quite recently actually. Instruments are not their strong point, but they are extremely determined, which pays off, as seen by their gig next Friday, with the band. A group of mismatched people and family members, flung together to form an odd night out.

MGMT - Time To Pretend (Official Music Video). Watch more top selected videos about: MGMT

Lily and Georgia on the Metro, Paris

I hope this creates a feel as to what kind of audience member my music video will receive. In case it doesn't I will add a picture of Lily Vetch and Georgia Patterson, the two epitomes of my perfect audience members.

10. Audience Research

Why do people choose to listen to the music that they do?

There are many reasons why a person chooses to listen to certain types of music,
reasons may include their friends group, as the influence of a friends taste is a very strong one, especially at a young age.

The lyrics may inspire a person, or be a catalyst for emotion, such as 'joy':
'Here comes the sun, here comes the sun,
and I say it's all right
Little darling, it's been a long cold lonely winter
Little darling, it feels like years since it's been here
Here comes the sun, here comes the sun
and I say it's all right' - The Beatles

Or 'depression':
'I hate myself and I want to die.
do you believe she said that?
can you believe she repeated that?
I said, I hate me myself and I
said I hate myself and I want to die' - Cat Power

Do music videos make a difference to a persons choice of music?


This entirely depends on how a person views their music, I listen to my own music on my ipod, therefore I choose it purely for the sound and listening qualities. Some people will view the majority of their music on channels such as 'MTV', 'YouTube' or a video phone. More and more people these days are not only downloading the soundtrack of a song, but the accompanying video. With this exposure to the music video it does increase the influence that the video has on the choice of music. Generally music video vary with the genre of the music, look at Feist's '1234' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABYnqp-bxvg&ob=av3n
compared to Eminems 'Lose Youself'
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRhEcKHU5LY
The difference between the two videos is massive. Feist being an upbeat, 'feel good' song with matching video, shown by the bright colours, smiling faces and quirky dance moves, a huge contrasts to Eminems.  It's dark, dangerous atmosphere gives a scary almost violent feel. On top this, this type of video has a strict narrative that works with the song to captivate the audience, this creates a larger audience, as a sense of story has been created which keeps the interest in both the video and the song.
We can see the difference in video merely by looking at one freeze frame, the difference in video reflects the difference in audience member, showing how a music video CAN make a difference to a persons choice of music.


Difference between '1234' and 'Lose Yourself'

What attracts people to music videos?
People are attracted to music videos that they feel that they can relate to, whether the narrative is similar to their own experience, most predominantly if it was recent, or if they feel connected to the video in some way. A slightly shallow but very true aspect of what draws people to liking music videos, is if there is attractive people in them, generally not wearing much. People also like to watch videos where the vocalist/protagonist is somebody they admire, such as a music artist/band. This can go the other way as well, if they are deeply disliked, for instance Rebecca Black's 'Friday' received millions of hits, although nobody liked the song. People also like to see clever tricks, the works of a talented editor, or some funky animation, this can be seen in Gorrilaz 'Clint Eastwood' or Jamiroquai's 'Virtual Insanity'. It gets the viewers brain marvelling at the impressive technology and effects, making it hard to turn away from the video.


What puts people off?
People do not want to watch uninteresting music videos, that contain people who they have never really heard of, who they will never really care about. There needs to be some form of interest, whether it is the narrative, the actors or characters involved (this includes band members and vocalists) or the skill in the video editing. Some people will be put off by certain genres of music video, for instance violent rap videos may not be appealing to some people, and vice versa. A focal point in the music video is vital as it gives the audience a concentration point, without one interest will be lost. People like extremes, as it is exciting. Boring videos will put people off.