Since doing my last diary post, which was the holiday one, I have written my music video proposal, which just outlines my initial ideas for what I’m going to create. I wrote about my target audience, concept, possible equipment I might use, models, possible locations (or lack thereof, I’ll explain this in a bit), costumes, choice of song, similar videos, etc. A lot of the stuff that I talked about I had already mentioned in previous posts, especially my holiday diary post, because they’re ideas that I’ve been working on for a while now.
Also this week I went back over previous work that I’ve done and just made sure that everything was really detailed and clear, so I did some little explanations on stuff like my 10 iconic music video stills and the equipment checklist.
In my last diary entry I mentioned uploading my location recce, I haven’t uploaded yet, mostly because the concept for my video requires it being shot entirely in extreme close-up, so the location isn’t really important, or actually necessary at all, because if I do it right you shouldn’t see the background. Having said that, I know the location recce is an important part of planning my video so I post that soon, but my location will probably just be in one of the media rooms, with a plain white backdrop, possibly with some bits filmed outside for a different lighting effect.
My music video idea is for the song ‘Short Skirt/Long Jacket’ by the band Cake. I chose this song because I thought the lyrics would be interesting to present visually, as when I listen to the song I get clear mental images of what is being sung about. Because the lyrics are about a girl and the models I will be using are all female, my video will be aimed at men, probably aged 16-30.
Rather than have a single model in my film, I would like to use a large group of girls to represent different aspects of the girl being described by the lyrics in the song. All the models will be filmed in extreme close-up – like the video for ‘Animal Arithmetic’ by Jonsi – using studio lighting and either a Canon XM2 HD Camera, a Canon 55OD Camera or a Sony HVRA1E Camera. These all allow for high quality footage, meaning my video will look professional. Like videos such as ‘Get Over It’ by OK Go, I will visually represent the lyrics using these models and also some props, for example, when the lyrics say "eyes that burn like cigarettes", the video would show one of the model's eyes, followed by another's lips blowing out cigarette smoke, or something similar.
The costumes for my video will be based on the descriptions from the song, so one of the models will be wearing “a short skirt and a long jacket”, they will have lots of make-up and painted nails, so as to look very glamorous. My video might use a band, also filmed in extreme close-up, so that when the song begins with the bass line, I could show it being played on the bass. Due to the fact that I will be shooting entirely in extreme close-up, location is not a particularly important part of my video, as you will not be able to see the surroundings very clearly or at all. I will shoot inside one of the media rooms against a white backdrop, much like the way in which I carried out the photoshoot for last year’s coursework.
After having filmed my video, I will edit it together using Adobe Premiere and After Effects. I aim to use many cuts in the editing process, timing them with the music so that the two fit together well and my video looks professional. There are a few problems that I might encounter when it comes to making my music video, though as I do not require outside locations, there are less potential issues. One problem that may occur is not being able to find a suitable filming day, because I aim to use so many models, who may not all be available at the same time. Although I could shoot the models individually, I liked the idea of shooting as many as possible at once, as I found last year that they felt more comfortable and were more willing to pose if they were not alone. This means that my video will not have an awkward atmosphere, as the models should look more natural. To try and ensure that I can get them all at the same time I will ask them to sign an agreement form that says that they are willing to work at certain times. I will also need to be sure that I know how to work all the equipment properly, so that I use it to its full potential.
I know the holidays are definitely over now, but I wanted to do this post after I had finished all the work I wanted to talk about. Over the summer I did some more thinking about an idea for my music video, and I decided that the idea I had for Short Skirt/Long Jacket by Cake (see Diary Entry One) would be very effective if done well and also fairly simple to do, especially in comparison to other ideas I have had. The idea was basically that I would use many female models and shoot them in extreme close-up, visually representing the lyrics. For example, when the lyrics say "eyes that burn like cigarettes", the video would show one of the model's eyes, followed by another's lips blowing out cigarette smoke, or something similar. This would also take inspiration from the OK Go video that I also mentioned in my first diary entry, which uses visual representations of the lyrics by zooming in on objects, e.g. when the singer shouts "hey!", the video cuts to a bale of hay. My video might also use a band, also filmed in extreme close-up, so that when the song begins with the bass line, I could show it being played on the bass. However, I first need to find a band that would be willing to learn the song. Additionally I would like the focus of the video to be more on the models than the band. For this video I could make use of the HD cameras available at school, as well as the studio lighting. So, as I had pretty much decided on a song, I analysed the lyrics, which I did by printing them out, scribbling all over them and scanning them back in, a habit I have picked up from English Literature. This process was particularly important for my music video as I'm focusing on visual representations of the lyrics, so I think it's vital that I work to understand the lyrics (and the themes and ideas presented by them) if I want my video to be successful. Another piece of work that I have been working on is my location recce, which I have not yet uploaded as I wanted to take some photos of locations around school that I could use, e.g. the OK Go video that I have already mentioned uses an empty bingo hall, a look that I could recreate using an empty school gym. Once I have added these photos then I will upload that too, which should hopefully be in the next week.
Before creating my shot list or storyboard, I wanted to analyse the lyrics of the song I am using. This is especially important for my idea because I want to visually represent some of the lyrics through the models and props, e.g. having the model snip through some red tape when the lyrics are "who uses a machete to cut through red tape". I decided the easiest way for me to do this was to print out the lyrics and annotate them like I would a poem.
In the last diary post I made I mentioned starting a reverse storyboard of the 'I Bet That You Look Good On The Dancefloor' video, which I have finally uploaded. As well as this I also finished my equipment checklist, which just showcases some of the equipment I have at my disposal when it comes to the production of my music video. It covers most of the stuff, but the department at my school also has things like a green screen, which I didn't include. Before the holidays I also posted my ten most iconic music video stills. I know I missed out some of the more obvious and popular choices, e.g. 'Sledgehammer' by Peter Gabriel or 'Ashes to Ashes' by David Bowie, but I tried to choose videos that I personally thought were iconic, rather than ones that other people had already chosen. Lastly, I'm just about to update my inspirations page with more videos that I have mentioned, and there should be a holiday diary post coming soon.
Autocue This could be useful when making my video because I could have the lyrics playing on the autocue to remind the performer of them, so that I may have to do less takes as hopefully less mistakes will be made.
Canon 55OD Camera This camera would be particularly good when filiming my music video because it allows me to shoot in shallow focus, something which may work well as I will be using a lot of extreme close-ups.
Canon XM2 HD Camera I could use this camera when filming my music video because it shoots in High Definition, meaning my footage will be of a much better quality, which is very important to me. Additionally it works very well in low-light settings, so if I wanted to film outside without studio lights my footage would still be of a decent quality. Lastly, it also allows me to use external microphones, so I could use a boom mic and get a better sound quality as well.
Crane This is a crane, which allows you to get a smooth, free camera movement and obtain shots that you wouldn't be able to otherwise. I don't think that I will use this in my music video as it is better suited for longer shots and landscape filming rather than close-ups, which is what I am interested in.
Fill Light This light is useful because it enables me to get high-key lighting. Unlike a spotlight, which only highlights certain areas, a fill light just brightens the entire area I am filming, meaning it gets rid of any harsh shadows. I might consider using this when filming shots of the band.
Sony HVRA1E Camera These cameras are high-definition, allowing me to get a better quality footage (like the Canon XM2 HD camera). However, unlike the Canon, it is very portable, meaning I could use it if I wanted to film in a location that is further way, such as in London. Additionally, I am able to film in wide screen rather than just the standard size screen, making my work look more professional.
Spotlight I will consider using these in my music video as they mean I can highlight certain areas, which will be particularly effective when filming in extreme close-up.
Tripod/Dolly This tripod means that I can get steady, smooth shots rather than using handheld all the time.
Visual Switcher This means that I can mix different visuals, plugging in different cameras so that I can live cut between them. This may be useful when filming my music video as I am planning on having many fast-paced cuts.
This is just some of the equipment available for use in the production my music video.
This is my reverse storyboard for the video 'I Bet That You Look Good on the Dancefloor' by Arctic Monkeys. I created this by taking 14 of the most important or interesting shots in the video and analysing them individually in terms of camera angle/movement, mise-en-scene and editing, as you would if you were to create the storyboard before I had made the video.
