Collecting Props & Planning Costumes

I have finally gathered and bought all necessary props that I wish to use and include in my music video. These include:

• Candles and matches
• Ultrasound scan
• Champagne bottle
• One rolled up piece of paper (to look like a cigarette)
• Pills and pill bottles
• Fake positive pregnancy test
• Hymn book

After collecting all of my props I then decided what I wanted each of my actors and dancers to wear. My dancers will remain in the same outfits throughout their section. However my actors have three basic outfits that they will wear, as I want their clothes in the flashbacks to be different from their clothes in the present. Below are photos of the different outfits that I created using a website called Polyvore to create a simple collage of different items of clothing for each of my dancers and actors.

 

Cameron, my male dancer will be wearing a costume very similar to the set of clothing that I have put together here. I am sticking with a colour scene of black and white for my dancers and want them to wear something that they find easy to dance in. Cameron will have his white shirts tucked into his black trousers, and depending on the weather and what the weather is, will depend on whether or not he will wear black trainers of black brogues.

Kelly, my female dancer will be sticking to the same black and white theme that I have chosen for my other dancer. This will contrast nicely against the scenery when I add a black and white filter to my filmed footage when editing. If it is very cold she will wear tights and I have said that she can wear either black pumps or trainers, depending in what she finds easier to dance in when we are filming at the chosen location.

 

Kane's main costume will be made up of clothing very similar to the items displayed above. His clothing is simple and easy for him to move in, so that kneeling down and running is not an issue and he is not restricted in any way. His grey hoodie has a zip down the front, but this in not a problem as it means that more of his white t-shirt will be seen. I want him to wear a comfy belt, with or without a prominent buckle - it depends what he has in his wardrobe.

Zina will be wearing a costume very similar to the set of clothing that I hav put together here, and this will be her main costume throughout the music video. The grey peplum top that she has, has a high neck and the rings that she will wear are slightly thicker than the ones shown above. On this collage I have out two different types of shoes, and this is because the weather will be the deciding factor on what shoes she wears to run along the path.

This is one of the outfits that I want Kane to wear in the flashback scenes. It is a casual look and something that he might wear on an afternoon spent chilling in his room. Blue and black are two colours that he will often be seen wearing, so I know that he definitely has clothes similar to those of the items shown above, in his wardrobe. I want him and Zina to feel relaxed in their costumes and this should be reflected in the way that they present themselves on camera.

 

This is another outfit which I intend Zina to wear in other flashback scenes. Her and Kane will both have a causal and relaxed look going on. The red compliments the blue that Kane will be wearing and the leggings and Chelsea boots that Zina will be wearing are two items of clothing that many people like to wear out and about. While it is an outfit that is comfortable to walk in, if Zina is cold she can put on multiple layers under her checked shirt without them being seen and wear lots of socks.

 

 One of the costumes that Kane will wear is a black shirt, black trousers and smart back trousers. This is an outfit that I want him to wear during two of the flashbacks. It is more formal than his other two outfits, and again will look good with a black and white filter over my filmed footage. He will look smart and compliment what Zina is wearing, during the scenes when he wears clothing similar to the items shown above.

 Zina will be wearing an outfit extremely similar to this for the flashback scene where Kane is smartly dressed in his all black outfit. The dress and heels will suggest the time of day as being in the evening and the jacket will be taken off to suggest the romance in the air. Zina is great at walking in high heels which is very convenient and her heels match her new floral dress very nicely, contrasting nicely with her jacket which is incredibly similar to the one shown above.


Below my risk assessment of several different factors is also displayed in the form of a table.

Cast Members

      

Zina Wells in an ideal candidate for portraying the lead female role in my music video. Not only is she a good friend of mine, but she is also the correct age of my target audience and a very musical person. Being musical is good, as it means that she will have no trouble keeping in time with the music when she is lip-syncing. She has had previous acting experience, performing in school shows and taking drama as a subject when she was younger, so acting for her should come naturally. She is also in a committed relationship with Kane Edwards, which means that the chemistry between the two of my actors onstage should be real enough for the audience to understand and connect with.

 

Kane Edwards in an ideal candidate for portraying the lead male role in my music video. He is not only another person who is a member of my target audience, but he is also in a relationship with Zina Wells. As well as being able to interact with her both in real life and in front of a camera, he is also a drama student. This means that he will be able to express genuine emotions while being filmed, reacting to the situation in a realistic and appropriate manner. This will help portray the events taking place in my film in a more convincing way to my target audience, and his musical skills will be helpful for the ways that he will move and react within my music video.

 

Kelly Martin is a brilliant dancer and comes from a classically trained ballet background. The dance experience that she has had means that she has learnt how to pick up new steps quickly and maintain her technique at the same time. This is a good thing, as it means that she will be able to pick up the choreography of the dance in my music video with great ease and focus on her technique and facial expressions more. She had danced with Cameron Burr before, and so the fact that they have already learnt to trust each other where lifts are involved is very convenient.

 

Cameron Burr is a talented dancer in a variety of different genres of dance, ranging from contemporary to jazz to hip hop. This means that he is flexible in learning different dances and he is excellent at picking up new steps and motifs of a dance, which is great for choreography purposes. Having previously danced with Kelly Martin, he is able to lift her easily and together they should be able to create a connection with each other as they are being filmed for my music video. He is also a drama student, so using facial expressing and acting while he dances will be easy for him to do.

Locations For My Music Video

After seeking permission from the necessary people, I have planned the locations that I intend to use to film my music video. Below I have several location shots and a brief explanation of either why I have chosen a particular location, or what I intend to film on site at the chosen location.

 

Shot List and Shooting Script

I have combined my shot list with my shooting script, and I will refer to this when I am filming my music video, to ensure that I follow my plan. I have made sure that I know how long I want each shot to be, and have made sure that I know what type of shot it will be, as well as whether or not there will be an angle used when I am filming. The movement is important, as it is not only about any movement of the camera, but also the movement of my actors and dancers.

 

 

Animatic Of My Video With Sound

This is an animatic of my music video which contains the sound track that I intend to use. I used a website to create the different cartoon images, and then I had to screenshot and crop each photo individually on PowerPoint, before putting them altogether in time with the music. It took a while to do, but this has been a helpful task as I am now able to see more clearly what props I need to include, as well as what angles I will definitely be filming from. Costumes have yet to be decided, and I need to choreograph the dancer's section. This will be decided and done in time for filming with both my actors and two dancers.

 

Story Board For My Music Video

Below are photos of my story board for five sections of my music video. As it turns out, five main sections of my music video fit with the music very well. I will use a variety of different shots and hope to incorporate moments of slow motion too, as well as flashbacks. My story board has the time and length of each shot written down the side of the sketch and some shots are clearly longer than others.

 

 

 

Story Plan For My Music Video

 

Below is a brief synopsis of the storyline for my music video. I have chosen to take the common theme of love, used in most Soul music videos, and use it to tell the story of a young couple who are very much in love with one another, but who have their love put to the test.

My music video follows the narrative of a seventeen year old girl who finds out that she is pregnant. Not wanting to keep the baby, she struggles to decide whether to get an abortion or to keep the baby. After telling her boyfriend of the same age about her dilemma, he tries to persuade her to keep the baby, expressing how in love with her he is. However, desperate and scared of the consequences and judgements that she will be forced to face, the couple argue with each other and the female runs away. She turns to alcohol and drugs as a way of dealing with her problems, but is later seen seeking sanctuary and refuge in a church. The setting of my video will be inside this church as well as outside and around it. The female will be seen inside surrounded by candle light, using the pews and the hymn books as props. While the male is ready to support her and be a father, the female does not know what to do. Although she is very much in love with her boyfriend, she cannot commit in this way or make a decision about what is the right thing to do. The dancing that will be included in my music video will be choreographed to represent the love between the two actors, but also their confusion, misunderstanding and frustration with one another. My music video will end with the male finding the female in a state of drunkenness, having overdosed in the church. He will be holding her and trying to rouse her and the audience will be left to interpret and decide for themselves, whether or not she does wake up. This ambiguity will draw the audience in, and encourage them to keep watching until the end of the video, which is what I want.

Key Elements to Include in my Music Video

This animation includes key elements that I hope to include within my music video in order to conform to expectation of soul music videos.


This data is not only from gathering feedback from potential audience members, but also by looking at theorists.


Sven E Carlsson created the theory that most performance movies restrict the way in which a performer is able to perform. I will use his theory to restrict my actors in the way that they interact with each other. As my actors are a real life couple I want them to remove themselves from reality so that they do not feel awkward or embarrassed when I film them.


Michael Shore's theory suggest that music videos are recycled styles which contain an information overload. This idea will be vaguely used in my own music video. While I want to display a clear narrative that is easy for my audience to follow, having them witness flashbacks to the past and lots of fast events, I think that this is a necessary overload of information.

Institutions that Produce and Exhibit Music Videos

How My Video is Going to Attract My Perfect Audience Member

After doing detailed research into the different UK Tribes and coming to the conclusion that my target audience member is in fact part of the 'Scenester' Tribe, there are a few things that I will have to consider including in my music video so that my video will successfully attract my target audience.

First of all I have to ensure that my video will appeal to the age group of my target audience, 16-19 year olds. To do this the content of the video has to be moving, deep and interesting. This is so that they will instantly be captivated by my video as most teenagers tend to have a very short attention span and are easily distracted if they find something is not entertaining.

The mise-en-scene will be natural settings outside, as my target audience enjoys being outside in the natural world. They appreciate being outdoors and so this is something that I will consider when I am filming my actors. I will want a balance between being outdoors as well as indoors. This will provide a contrast in lighting, as indoor lighting is quite clearly different from outdoor lighting which is more natural. Looking at the Scenester Tribe and reviewing the feedback from my perfect target audience member about what they like to wear, I will carefully consider costume, hair and make-up for the actors within my video. This is because what I choose for my actors to wear in my music video has to appeal to the dress sense and tastes of my target audience. When the audience can relate to the music video, they will find it more appealing to watch. Therefore I will include black skinny jeans, as well as winged liquid eyeliner at some point in my music video. As my perfect target audience member is a musical person, as is the rest of the tribe that she is a part of, I will definitely consider including shots of a piano. The sound of a guitar does not feature in my video, however the sound of a piano does. Therefore, including this will help to encourage my target audience to continue watching the video.

The editing within my music video from shot to shot will need a fast pace to it. This is so that members of my target audience who have a short attention span will be engaged for a longer time and will want to watch more of my music video. Fast paced editing will introduce my target audience to new locations, new costumes and new characters quickly within my music video, so that hopefully my audience will want to pursue the narrative. The cinematography will also have to be varied as having a mix of long shots, mid shots and close ups will be more interesting to my audience, than a repetitive combination of just one type of shot. To engage them for longer I will ensure that the types of shot are different and the length of shots is also varied, even when the transitions between shots will be the same. This will captivate the audience and keep their attention throughout the whole video.

After considering the possibility of including sound effects in my video, I have decided to discard this idea. This is because it does not fit with the genre of music I have chosen and it would not be effective for my choice of narrative storyline. It would not be ideal for my audience members as it may ruin the atmosphere and draw attention away from the main point of the video; the song. Most members of my audience in the Scenester Tribe would find it boring and unnecessary, for example the video for 'Hello' by Adele has a long introduction scene. After having spoken to members of my target audience they would rather this was not included. Instead of being able to listen to the song they want to hear, they have to wait a rather long time to get to the main element of the video. Similarly 'Paparazzi' by Lady Gaga also has an even longer introduction which draws attention away from the music and can make some audience members stop paying attention - before the song has even begun. This is therefore something that I want to avoid in the opening of my music video.

 One of the most common traits within music videos for soul pieces of music, is having a strong, understandable and underlying narrative. The lyrics more often than not relate to the narrative in some way, and convey themes of love and sadness. This is expressed within the actor's ability to portray emotions in this way. Therefore, to ensure that my music video is going to attract my target audience, I will have to create an engaging narrative. It will include romantic connections between characters and convey strong and passionate emotions between the actors and potential dancers. This will help to draw in my audience as my narrative will include relatable ideas and problems when it comes to love and real life, so that they feel motivated to watch my video and feel understood. As a result they will feel satisfied by the time that the video has reached its ending. My ideas will link with the lyrics to produce a music video that connects everything together and makes it appealing and enjoyable for my perfect audience member to watch.

 

Researching My Perfect Audience Member



Audience Research

This animation provides feedback from target audience members, who I questioned with reference to what the both liked and disliked about different music videos.

The pie chart and bar chart below show the data presented in a the animation, in a visual way using figures. It is easy to see from these charts why people listen to music, as well as whether or not a music video affects someone liking a song or not.

 

Mood Board

My Mood Board shows different ideas and themes that I am considering expressing within my music video. The location and time of day is something that I am having to consider carefully, as I need good lighting for filming. Props and costumes are things that I have thought about a little bit. I ant to include items relevant to today's modern world so that my target audience can identify with the characters in my music video. As it is a song with religious connotations a church, crosses, candles and the difference between right and wrong are things that I am definitely wanting to explore the use of.