Evaluating Music Video

Research and Planning

Developing the concept

• I explored different songs that I liked and looked at the ones that would appeal to my target audience

• I investigated different genres and liked the idea of a sixties style mixed with jazz/blues

• After I chose my song C2C Down the Road I looked at different concept ideas

• For example I came up with several different ideas and then chose my favorite one

• After looking at the Kaleidoscope element I researched different videos with this feature

• AX.PARIS advert - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbUeMJ8KizI

• O.P.I advert - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGLCZSwYfDo

• I liked the idea of featuring this into my video and I established that my video would then be post production based.

• I also looked at my star image looking at an edgy however hip-hop look

Research I did include: • I researched different artists that

were similar and therefore I came up with the idea of having a female as my main act as it would create a wide fan base of both male and females.

• I also looked at similar music videos in order to help create a context, this helped us to come up with the idea of a circus theme in order to make my video look more interesting.

I liked the idea of usingmasks to hide faces

Original concept

• Originally I liked the idea of filming something in London with someone in a busy street however we decided that after researching this enough I was going to change it as it would be to hard to film in a busy area with people walking around.

Finally• I came up with the treatment idea by looking

at the Kaleidoscope and also looking at shadows all over the wall. I then incorporate a performance element into it.

• Gnarls Barkley ‘Crazy’ - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bd2B6SjMh_w

• I tried not to be to literal about I music video and looked at Gnarls Barkley ‘Crazy’ in order to help expand my idea

• From watching this video I established that I could not use the Kaleidoscope theme throughout the video and it proved to me that I would need to incorporate something else into the video.

• This helped me to then come up with idea of a clown act and a doll act to make it more appealing to the audience.

This is an image of my target audience

• We looked at the ways artists are created and established, from a talk Emily Tedrake who gave me an insight into how an artist is formed, this helped me to understand what I was looking for in the star image.

• After understanding how I could create the star image I looked at a treatment where I would gather all the information for my acts. For example we looked at other videos of artists who were able to appeal to a similar target audience, from doing this I found out some useful tips. For example the clothing and make up of my artists which I then applied in my treatment.

• After establishing that I wanted to use a Kaleidoscope and shadows I then formed the final draft of my music video. I looked at various sources for example articles and videos, from watching one particular video

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Uee_mcxvrw

• I established that I wanted something that would seem different and weird, this is where I came up with the idea of having a clown aswell as a doll with exaggerated make up

Researching music video

• After pitching several different ideas I eventually settled on the idea of the Kaleidoscope – this would synchronies with the style of the song which is French electric music

• I also looked at the original music video and decided that I could make something just as interesting however completely different. As the song is electronic style I decided that I could make the video look electronic style too.

Researching• Overall researching and looking at different

videos and concepts helped to encourage the context of my video and it also helped to establish how I could incorporate different themes into my video, for example using all the acts to stand in front of a green screen which would then enable to transform into the kaleidoscope

Location• Primarily I looked at shooting off-location, for

example in the first concept it involved shooting in London in a built up area. However after drawing up several different concept ideas I decided that I would be able to shoot all of the acts in the studio in front of the green screen. This meant that I would not have the hassle of filming in an area where there are people walking around and potentially ruining the shots

Props - instrument

• Prior to the shoot day I made a list of all of the props that I would need in order to be organized and make sure that I would not forget anything. I knew that I would have to find instruments for all the acts, therefore I looked at the instruments that the song needed and then tried to find a suitable fit. For example I did not want to have a guitar that looked shabby. I liked the idea of having an old fashioned microphone in order to create a sense of the sixties style

Props - extras• I knew that I had to purchase a guitar that I would be able to

smash, so I looked at ones that I could afford and that could be broken

• I also looked into the idea of horse heads which I thought would look good against the shadow effect that I would create in post-production

• Additionally to go with the circus theme I searched different acts, for example a fortune teller throwing around cards, this then helped us to establish what one of the random acts could be

• I also knew that I would need juggling balls for the clown• Finally I had the idea of popping gum which was influence by

Miley Cyrus’s music video ‘We Cant stop’:• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_mwiAhYKCU

Costumes• I tried to find a sense of synchronization within my

costumes so that the acts would look like they were from a similar time period.

• As my artists name is Luella Rouge I decided that she should wear red.

• The doll costume was researched and then inspired by a circus doll that I discovered

• All the costumes were thought about prior to the shoot day and I made sure that they would fit and be appropriate

• Additionally I had to cut out anything that was green as it would affect the green screen editing process

Set design• I saw a set designer who helped to give advice on

choosing a set. I looked at having a a plain black wall surrounding the act with a star cloth to create a sixties style surrounding. This was inspired by this video:

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NF-kLy44Hls• However I then established that I would only need a

green screen throughout• Sorting out the set helped to put my video into

perspective and establish where I wasre aiming to go.

Storyboarding• Storyboarding gave a clear outline and an

organizational structure into what my shots would then look like, additionally it helped us to spot any errors or potential for any new shots.

• It helped to frame and structure my work in an organized form

• It also helped my idea come together and it helped us to see what the outcome would then look like

This is a screen shot of my story board which clearly indicates a shot by shot process with a description of the time and the shot number

Animatic• The animatic gave an outline on what my video would

look like at after drawing each picture for the storyboard – the animatic was hugely beneficial as it showed us that I did not want to have just a plain white background.

• Furthermore it helped us to plan my the story and map out each shot so that I could have a successful and easy shoot day

• I thought that this was a great planning process as it showed us that I would have to add more acts to the scene in order to make it look more interesting and appealing to a young pop audience

Screen grab of animatic

Planning• The planning process helped us keep on track

and be organized – it also helped us to make more informed decisions during the production process

• I also did several test shots and screen tests prior to the shoot day in order to make sure that my acts were prepped and ready

Casting

• Casting created a huge impact on my music video, I chose a cast that I thought would look good behind the camera, appeal to the audience, and however be able to act out and not get shy behind the camera and the lights. I think that this was a huge influence, as I chose Paulina Keller who is a drama student she was able to act and be playful which made the video look more professional and interesting

Animatic

• The animatic was hugely successful as it showed us what I was missing and that I needed to make it more interesting, it also warned me that I needed to have enough footage so that was would not run out of things to introduce into the sequence

• The animatic was the main reason that was chose to add the ‘random’ acts to make it look more interesting. I think that the ‘random’ acts were a good addition to the video.

Finally … • Overall my research helped to establish where my music

video was heading, not only this but it also helped us to keep organized and on track of what was needed to do

• To an extent I changed some things around on the shoot day, however all my planning, e.g. the storyboard, helped to structure my day and as a result of this I did not run out of time to shoot everything

• The shoot would have been even better if I could have added more ‘random’ acts in order to create a bigger feel of the circus theme

• I could develop my idea to create a better backdrop so that all of my shots would not just end up in a kaleidoscope.