Notes for 2nd Draft - Music Video

After completing the first draft of my music video I showed it to some members of my target market to get some feedback and find out any ways that I could improve it. I did this by sharing my video on social media sites, including Twitter and Facebook as well as creating a questionnaire so that I could get some specific feedback as well as some personal opinions. Below are some of the notable aspects that may need changing when in my second draft.

- Could include more close ups of the characters so the audience can really see the emotion in their faces.
- Most people didn't mind the reflections but there are a few that are a bit distracting e.g. the feet that appear to walk over the piano in the last shot.
- In the chorus the shots need to be shorter.
- A bigger difference between the stories and the singer is need colour wise.
- There is a shadow in one of the shots of the homeless girl which needs removing.

Notes for 2nd Draft - Supporting Artefacts

Much like my music video on completing my two supporting artefacts of a digipak and music magazine advert I asked some of my target audience to make comments on how to improve them both. To do this I held a small focus group before showing them the advert and digipak I explained about my ideology and showed them the music video so they understood a little better what I was aiming to achieve in making them.

"Georgia: "I really like the photo of Katherine, it's very natural and definitely suits your ideology, but I'm a little unsure about the effect you have used. It looks nice but I think both artefacts would appear more professional with just a straight photo with no effects."

Florence: "Yeah, I agree with Georgia the photo is perfect but maybe only use it for one of your products. At the moment I would say they are a little too similar. Perhaps keep the photo for the digipak but use another one for the advert."

Rachel: "I think the advert should include social media logos, I often look up bands of Facebook and Twitter so it would be good if you showed that I could do that."

Florence: "I think the social media logos should be on the back of the digipak as well, near where you have said you will put the record label logos."

Georgia: "That would work well! Perhaps you could also spread the track titles out a little bit to fill up the space on the left a bit more. It's great having the picture on the right but I think the left looks a little empty and for teenagers we like things to be quite busy, so the top left corner needs filling slightly.""

I agree very much with all of the points my focus group have made. I also raised the question as to whether they thought the album title was prominent enough on the front cover of the digipak, and although they like it, they thought I would benefit from having it written again near where it says 'Katherine-Anna'. Therefore, I have also decided to change the font of the artists name so that it works well with the font for the album title as I would like to keep the album title in a curly style writing like in the poster, meaning that the font for 'Katherine-Anna' will need changing too. 

Filming Preparation - Weather

Weather Planning:

In my music video I have two outside scenes. One of these is of the teenager who has been chucked out and is sitting on a bench. After looking at the weather forecast for this week (December 16^th – 22^nd). The weather looks to be suitable for filming on Friday as I want it to be slightly cloudy so that pathetic fallacy can play a role in this ‘downbeat’ scene. 

For the second outdoors scene in the graveyard I would also like to have the same type of weather once again so I can carry on the use of pathetic fallacy in my video. Although the forecast for Sunday does have the risk of rain, I am hoping that I will be able to film in the morning before this arrives. 

Filming Preparations - Settings

Bedroom No.1
This bedroom is typical of a young teenager. Its colourfulness opposes the young girl's dreadful situation, and I hope the audience will see the life she should be having with the typical happy surroundings when in fact this room becomes a punishment for her rather than a sanctuary.



Bedroom No. 2
I chose this bedroom for several reasons. Firstly, the dark purple on the wall helps create the sombre tone I'm looking for in this song. Another room I could have used was bright pink which I feel would not create
the correct tone for this part of the song. Whilst it is quite dark, it is also quite a homely room suited to a teenage girl/young adult, and could be viewed as a sanctuary for my secret alcoholic.


Kitchen
Many people now take their phones to the dinner table with them as we have become the technology generation. This is why I decided to use a kitchen as another one of my locations. It's still in a house
suggesting the boy spends a lot of time at home but shows that he is not the one hiding away in his bedroom, but wants to meet up with his friends and is simply waiting at home for the opportunity.



Lounge
This will be the setting for one of my flashbacks. Many of my target market will spend time with their families
in the comfort of their living room and I want to replicate this in my music video, to show the family having fun together before the Mum sadly dies.



Grave Yard
I have used this location for the obvious reason of what it adds to the story. By placing my character in a grave yard it will be instantly obvious
to the audience what has happened, and it will hopefully evoke a feeling of sympathy in them or maybe even recognition of the sadness my character is experiencing in this situation.

Café Bar Marzano
For my singer I want her to be in a light, accessible place but she needs to be playing the piano as requested by my target audience. For these reasons, I have chosen Café Bar Marzano for her scenes. The piano will
be placed in front of the floor length windows so there is plenty of light and she is not placed in a dark corner but is accessible from every angle. Whilst most of my characters are trapped in their problems I want my singer to be the complete opposite.



Ghost Hill Woods
Many people would admit to not liking walking through woods at night. Whilst I will not be filming at night, I have chosen this location for this reason as my character will head off into the unknown in the woods. In
addition, it is a secluded place where I can show my character as being completely alone.

Filming Preparations - Costumes

Following my initial thoughts on costume I have gone ahead and found some example pictures for the clothing I would like my actors to wear.

Singer: Katherine

Katherine-Singer

An example of the top
Katherine will wear.

The costume I have chosen for Katherine is rather simple as I want her to be able to represent each one of my target audience. By making sure that she is wearing black also reflects the sombre mood of the song and the underlying sad meaning behind it. Although the ideology is positive, making her wear bright colours would not work well with the style of the song.

Georgia - Abused girl

Abused girl: Georgia
The clothes I have chosen for Georgia are a simple dark coloured jumper and red
jeans. The dark jumper once again reflects the sad mood of the situation, whilst the red symbolises the danger in her life and her future. Both these items of clothing can be found in shops today so are very much in fashion and reflect also the clothes my target audience would wear. This will help them to identify with this particular character in the video.





Bereaved Boy: Matthew

Matthew - Bereaved
Boy

The costume of Matthew is very similar to that of Georgia. For his outside scene I have asked him to wear a dark coat and red chinos. Once again, the red will symbolise the uncertainty, tragedy and pain in his life whilst also acting as a fashionable item of clothing for my target audience.

 
 

Kaylie - Homeless
Girl

Homeless Girl: Kaylie
Although Kaylie is playing a homeless teenager it is important that her clothes are current and in fashion if a bit dirty. This is because I hope to show that she is only recently homeless due to a fight with her parents. Therefore, I have chosen a checked coat, and dark tracksuit bottoms as her outfit. Furthermore, the colours are dull to reflect unfortunate circumstances that the girl has found herself in.

Heather - Alcoholic Girl

Alcoholic Teenager: Heather

As Heather is supposed to be a secret alcoholic which is indicated by the hidden box of empty bottles under her bed, her clothes will not be scruffy just lounge clothes to indicate her lack of care for things around her an her appearance. With this in mind I have chosen a simple grey hoodie and tracksuit bottoms as her costume indicates not only her sombre mood but her plain and repetitious life as she spends her time drinking by herself.

 

Lonely Boy: Louis

The costume for this character has a very broad scope. As his state does not necessary inflicted upon his physical look. Due to this I have decided a dark coloured jumper will suffice once again to link in with the mood of his situation. As with all the other costumes, it is current and representative of something that my target audience would wear themselves. 

Time plan

October 2013 - January 2014 - Collect loads of pictures saying 'I'll Be Ok'. I started this fairly early because I knew it would take time to organise and get as many as I need together. To do this, I created a FaceBook group as I wanted to include my target audience as much as possible and this site is one of their main forms of communication and is regularly used.

Saturday 21st December - Film all the scenes at my house staggered throughout the day. Hopefully, each actor/actress will only be need for a short amount of time. As I have a car, I can go pick people up and drop them off when needed.

Sunday 22nd - Start editing all scenes filmed the day before.

Sunday 5th - Film scenes in Café Bar Marzano.

Monday 6th - Edit and add in the scenes filmed on the 5th. 

Costumes, Props & Settings.

Essentially due to my music video being manly comprised around 'normal people' and everyday situations, my costumes, props and settings are all very simple. That being said it is important that I make sure I have everything planned now, to avoid mistakes later. Many of the props I have myself and many of the settings will be conducted at my house in various rooms. However, some others will require more thought.

Costumes:

Singer:
1. Black dress - black to reflect the sombre tone of the song and also make it so she is not very individualistic (could be anyone) something my target audience would wear

Stressed person:
1. Tracksuit bottoms and plain top - comfortable clothes to suggest she spends a lot of time sitting there doing homework.
2. Summery dress - to be worn in the flashback where she is happy - summer usually associated with happiness.

Lonely person:
1. Everyday clothes - jeans, top - perhaps could look like she is ready to go to the city.

Heartbroken person:
1. Again everyday clothes needed here to represent the fact they are a normal person, so jeans and a jumper.

Alcoholic:
1. Scruffy clothes slightly dirty perhaps - messed up hair to show carelessness and state of mind.

Person with no money for heating bills:
1. Lots of layers - coat over hoodie, scarfs, gloves, boots etc. to show how cold it is inside.

Homeless person:
1. Scruffy old clothes, fingerless gloves, dirty complexion etc - need to create dishevelled look in general.

Props:

1. Subject books, pieces of paper, pens etc. - psychology - could represent her state of mind

2. Big mirror to stand on the desk

3. Teddy for the lonely person to cuddle

4. Laptop for FaceBook

5. Replica bills

6. Empty alcohol bottles/cans

7. "You're not alone" posters (Auteur prop - never seen done before)

8. Hat for the homeless person to collect money in 

9. Grand piano for the singer

10. A desk

Equipment: (have all of them at home)
-Camera
-Tripod
-Dolly

Settings:

1. Bedroom with a big desk in (my sister's)

2. Bedroom with a bed next to a window (mine or my sister's)

3. Café Bar Marzano, The Forum - this will be the setting for the chorus' as there is a lovely grand piano which I can use. It is placed in the corner by full length glass panels which I think will look nice in the filming. I plan to film either really early in the morning or late at night to avoid lots of people being around and disrupting their day. I have talk to Marzanos about this and it is not a problem. 

4. A brick wall where a homeless person could sit (round the corner from my house)

5. Cold room (my lounge)

6. A white wall for the 'I'll Be Ok' part to be filmed (my hallway)

Letters and Briefs to Actors.

Below is the standardised letter/email that I have sent to all of my actors. I decided to make a model then insert the specific details so that everything was clear for everyone, rather than forgetting some details in one and putting too many in another.


"Dear __________________

Thank you for taking part in the filming of my A2 Media Studies music video. Please find below details of filming and costume.

As you know my music video is made up of many different scenarios and you will be involved with the filming of the _____________________. Therefore, could you please wear _______________. I hope to be filming on _____________________ but it could be __________________ if you are not able to make this date or the weather is not appropriate. I hope that filming will take no longer than 2 hours for your part. 

Thank you 

Sophie." 

This letter has been sent to 8 people all of whom are playing different roles in my music video. The actress playing the singer in the music video, will also be part of the magazine advert and digipak, so this was added on the end.

"To take the pictures required for the magazine advert and digipak, could you please make sure that your make-up and costume is the same as in the music video. This will enable me to link the three artefacts together."

Secondary Storyboards.

After making my primary storyboards which showed an overview of my music video, I have produced my secondary storyboards. These indicate which shot I should use for each frame, for how long, and any transitions or effects I could use when editing. 

I have changed the order of the situations slightly so that they fit more appropriate with the lyrics of the song. 

Initial Storyboards.

For my initial storyboards I have not yet decided on specific angles for each second of the song but put the ideas to the lyrics so I can then later on work out how much time for each 'section' I have to work. This for me, will be the most effective way to do things because it will help me to map out everything I need to include with say 8 seconds for example. Below I have included an elaboration and explanation for each picture on my storyboard so far.

1. Lyrics: When everything is going wrong and things are just a little strange...
My first picture on my storyboard shows a girl sitting at a desk with work all over it. I have chosen this scenario for the beginning part as it instantly links my target market to the song as they will have no doubt experience many times where they have not understood or could not handle their homework. I want to start with an over the shoulder shot so the face of the actress is not visible so that there is the idea of anonymity and that this person could be anyone of my target audience. After then I would like to have a close up shot to the actress putting her head in her hands before then switching back to the first shot to see her pushing all her papers away in disgust.

2. Lyrics: It's been so long now, you've forgotten how to smile...
To start this part I'm going to use the same character's reflection in the mirror on the desk, once again using an over the shoulder shot but much closer this time so the emotion can be seen in the mirror and hopefully an emotion that my target market of teenagers can relate to. For the second half I would like to use a flashback, in black and white, of the character being happy to correspond with the lyrics 'forgotten how to smile'. When conducting my surveys, a lot of people said that they think the storyline should relate to the lyrics and this is one point during the song which I think I can make it work well, without it being too cheesy.

3. Lyrics: Overhead the skies are clear but it still seems to rain on you...
To start this part I would like to start with a close up of someone's face before zooming out and panning to the right so that a window and rain is in view by the end. This once again will correspond with the lyrics and when the next part comes along will make sense to which scenario it is paired with, although I hope that the audience will also be able to make up their own mind about what this part and others alike mean to them.

4. Lyrics: and your only friends all have better things to do...
Once again, with the risk of it being too cheesy, here I would like to use the social media site FaceBook, with a conversation going on where one friend is too busy to see the other. Again, I feel this will be very relatable for my audience as most will use regularly sites like these. Here instead of using a camera because some times when filming screens they appear funny, I may download some screen filming software so that it looks a lot better and more professional. 

5. Lyrics: When you're down and lost and you need a helping hand, when you're down and lost along the way...
This is the entirety of the first chorus. For the majority of this time I would like to present my split narrative with the singer on a piano. But I would also I like to include some other scenarios that I have not had a chance to use elsewhere in the song. I think this will be effective because, whilst I will be using many camera shots and ranges, it will help to keep the audience interested so they do not have to look at the same thing throughout the chorus. 

6. Lyrics: Just tell yourself, I'll be okay...
As I want to have this idea of everyone being the same and 'normal' people, hear I would like to use all the actors in my video, to simply stand in front of the camera on a close-up shot, right in the middle so they appear strong and trustworthy, and sing 'I'll Be Ok'. As this lyric is the main ideology to my song, I want to keep it simple yet effective and meaningful and I believe this would be the correct way to do this. 

7. Lyrics: Now things are only getting worse and you need someone to take the blame... 
Many young people probably have not yet really experienced bankruptcy, but they have potentially seen their parents struggle to pay the bills. Therefore, in this part I would like to produce some 'final warning' letters and such and present them here.

8. Lyrics: When your lover's gone there's no-one to share the pain...
Similar to the first shot, I would like to use an over shoulder shot to start this scenario, once again in attempt to show that these to people could be anyone. The main idea will once again link into the lyrics as someone walks out the door and there is one person left alone, with no-one to support them. Perhaps here I will also include a close-up of a hand on the door handle or something similar to keep the audience interested.

9. Lyrics: You're sleeping with the light on and you're lying in an empty bed...

I thought this would be a good chance to use the theme of bereavement, as perhaps a picture on the bedside table could be of two people together being happy then panning to see them lying there alone upset. However, I am still undecided whether it should be a partner who has passed away or a parent. Perhaps for my target market a parent would be more fitting as they are unlikely to lose a partner in that way aged 13-18 years. 

10. Lyrics: All the alcohol in the world could never help me to forget...
I think this part is my chance to include the scenario of addiction, and dependency on alcohol to help people through hard times. Many of my target audience will be just starting to drink alcohol, so perhaps here instead of promoting alcohol as a means of forgetting I would like to show someone throwing them away and being stronger because simply, as the lyrics suggest, the alcohol will not help and will not help anyone to forget their troubles in the long run.

11. Lyrics: You're not alone (x5)
This is the where I want to include all of the pictures that I have collected of many different people holding hand made signs that say 'You're not alone'. This is primarily to portray my ideology of not having to suffer alone in your troubles, these pictures will then be used across my other two artefacts. 

12. This part is without lyrics at the moment as they are potential scenarios to go in the chorus'. Number 12 shows poverty where someone is in their bedroom and you can see their breath because they cannot afford the heating bill. Also, perhaps I could include the same person looking in the fridge to find there is no food. 

13. Finally, my last scenario, is homelessness. My target audience are not likely to have experience this themselves but will have seen many people who do and I hope to create sympathy here as I use close-up shots to show their distress and helplessness at this situation. To lighten the situation slightly, I may consider including someone giving them money, which could represent my 'you're not alone' ideology as this person helps the homeless person. 


- Please look at my Secondary Storyboards for increased detail.

Initial Sketches for Digipak.

Initial Sketches for Magazine Advert.

Project I'll Be Ok

For one part of my music video I want to include my target audience. I came up with the idea od getting them to take photos of themselves holding posters that say either 'I'll Be Ok' or 'You're Not Alone'. In order to collect these photos I have made an open group on Facebook called 'Project I'll Be Ok'. I have invited all my friends, got them to invite theirs and I also advertised it on Twitter. From this I have managed to gain in just a few days some members from other countries that I did not know before. This shows how my campaign has the ability to become global if it was to be continued.

UPDATE:09/01/2014

In the end I received around 30 photos which was plenty for my music video, and unfortunately I could not include them all. I plan, however, use some, in my digipak too, which will act as another way that my products are linked together.

Permission Update

Tom Fletcher.

I still have had no reply from the record label, but the other day my sister managed to talk to Tom Fletcher, who is not only the founding member of McFly but also wrote the song 'I'll Be Ok'. Much to my delight he has given me consent to use the song and also to record the piano version of it. He also assured her that he would love to see my music video when it is finished.

Getting Permission

To abide by copyright laws and gain permission to use 'I'll Be Ok', I decided to email the record label 'Universal' who McFly are currently signed by, and were with when the song was recorded. The email address I found was for a lady called Laura Leon. The Universal website suggested that any queries to do with usage of material should be directed towards her.

As today is the 31st of October and I have not has a reply from the record label, I am presuming it is okay to use the song and will now continue with planning my artefacts. 

Initial Ideas for Music Video

As mentioned in my Specific Brief post my music video to 'I'll Be Ok' is going to be about different situations that could affect a teenager. I have thought of several different situations that I can include and have listed them below with specific things I could film to portray them. In addition, there are certain lyrics in the song that I would like to do something specific for and these ideas are also listed below. For both the concepts and lyrics I have listed the codes and conventions which will apply to each idea.

Concepts:

Self harm:
- Attempt at scars on actors arms
- Subtle suggestions of someone self harming - in a bathroom, blood in sink.  (props, setting, stock character, stock event)

Poverty:

- Looking in an empty fridge for food     (props, setting)

- Sitting on a street begging for money     (props, setting)
- No money in purse     (props)
- Lights not working - electricity bills     (props)

Bereavement:
- Looking at happy pictures of the person who has died     (props)
- Dressed for a funeral     (stock event & character, costume, setting)
- Crying in room alone     (setting, stock event, stock character)

Abuse:
- Attempt to make bruises     (props)
- Show someone being 'hit' in grey and white to show sadness - use slow motion for effect     (stock event, special effects)
- Abuse within a relationship and child abuse     (stock event & character)

Depression:
- This could be difficult to do as it has to be subtle
- Perhaps use someone sitting in their room, on their bed looking blank with people trying to help     (stock character, setting)

Addiction:
- Alcohol abuse     (props)
- Trying to drink in secret     (props, setting)
- Empty bottles hidden somewhere     (props, setting)

Eating Disorder:
- Not eating much     (props)
- Bulimia     (props)

Lyrics:

"Only friends all have better things to do"
- On phone to friends who are at a party, whilst actors is stuck at home alone     (props, setting, stock event & character)
- Sees friends walking down a street together looking happy whilst again actor is alone     (stock event & character, setting)

"Skies are clear but it still seems to rain on you"
- Setting here is really important - use blue skies on the horizon but cloudy up ahead.     (setting)

"You're not alone"
- Pictures of teenagers holding up signs saying 'You're not alone' and 'I'll Be Ok'     (props, stock characters, ideology)

"I'll be ok"
- Different person each time singing 'I'll be ok' into the camera     (stock characters, ideology)

"It's been so long now you've forgotten how to smile"
- Looking in a mirror not being able to smile
- Looking at an old photograph of looking happy     (props, setting, stock character)

"All the alcohol in the world"
- Concept of addiction     (props, setting, stock event & character)

Specific Brief

The song I have chosen to base my whole coursework around is pop song 'I'll Be Ok' by British band McFly. After seeing them on their last tour, I have decided to use the piano version of this song. I feel that when performed in this way, the song takes on a whole new ideology and deeper meaning which I want to portray in my video. Unfortunately, McFly have not recorded this version, therefore I will be seeking permission to record the song myself with a piano and use that the make the video for. 

Music Video

The social group I want to represent is teenagers. I have chosen this group for a few different reasons. Firstly, being a teenager myself I know that I will be able to portray them in a correct and effective manner and I will not have a problem finding appropriate actors. In addition, the lyrics of the song are perfect for portraying the life of a teenager and all of the struggles and concepts that this social group faces in life. 

Narrative: I will be using a split narrative, alternating between a narrative of many different teenagers all experiencing certain struggles and a singer on a piano. I'm hoping to include a lots of different concepts including, poverty, abuse, bereavement, depression and addiction. At the end of the song, I want to include a sequence in which there are loads of pictures of other teenagers holding up signs saying 'You're not alone' (to fit in with the lyrics in this part) and some also saying 'I'll be Ok'. This, I hope, will bring together the ideology of that everything will be okay in the end and no-one is alone, no matter what problems they may have. 

In terms of settings, props and costumes I want it to look as natural as possible. Therefore, I will be filming in houses, at school, and in society in general. Similarly, everyday props and in fashion clothes will be used, but I will look at these in more detail a little later on when I truly start planning. 

Digipak

Front cover: I have two main ideas that I want to use in my digipak. On the front cover I would like to merge two pictures together to make a face of a girl. One side of the face the girl will look run down and sad, but the other side she will be happy. This is in attempt again to fit in with my ideology of everything will be okay and you're not alone. The left hand side picture portraying the past and the right hand side showing the present or the future. 

Inside: Inside of the digipak I want to carry on with the same style by making a collage of all the photos that I will use at the end of the video. I believe this will help to carry on a house style throughout my artefacts. 

Back cover: Similar to the front cover I want to use a split picture. This time it will be the back of the girl's head. One side the hair will be messy and unappealing and the other side will be made-up and neat. I hope this will give the idea of looking at someone from the front and the back, and of course it will hold the same meaning as the front cover.

Magazine Advert

Again I am hoping to carry on the same house style as my other two artefacts. I would like use the same pictures as the front cover of my digipak. The background I am hoping to use the pictures, but I am not sure how well this will work, so I could use just a plain background as not to distract the reader from the main picture of the girl. Of course I will be including social media links and favicons to engage the reader and promote the song and group. 

My Chosen Brief

From the options that are available, I have decided to do the promotion package for the release of an album.

My main reason for choosing this is that I feel that it would give me the best opportunity to build on my knowledge and overall work from last year. At the same time, I will also be able to explore new areas in designing the Digipak and Magazine Advertisement as well as producing the Music Promo Video.