Practice shots

Today we went to three of the four locations to do some practice shots. We wanted to see if the camera angles, we proposed in our storyboard, worked. On North Bridge we tried a tracking shot that rotates around our artist to get the view off the bridge in. It worked well. e also experimented with high and low shots from off the bridge looking at the artist on the bridge. We also practiced some of the shots on the bus. One shot involved the artist leaning on the window, looking out, we wanted to try zooming in to the window to show thee artist looking out but it didn't work because keeping the camera steady on the bus was too difficult.

We went to the location where our artist would be busking. We experimented with a few locations around the town centre. We also experimented with different shots to show our artist walking. Tracking shots, high shots and low shots are a few examples.

Performance Shots

We have planned close ups of our artist during the performance part of the video. This music video, featuring Jake Bugg makes good use of close ups with a variety of camera movements and angles. The use of lighting is carefully chosen. Transitions are used to good effect. Because the nature of the song is a slow tempo, the slow change in focus becomes effective. The close ups of the guitar will also be included in our video. The main areas of focus on the guitar are the strings and we will try to recreate some of the shots.

Storyboard

The opening shot is an establishing shot that sets the scene. It is followed by a high shot of the artist to show his vulnerability. Following this is a close up of his guitar, a convention of indie music videos. Then there is a close up of our artist lip syncing.

 

The close up shot is repeated. There is a  shot of a passer by  giving the artist some money and another shot of him walking away but the focus is still on the artist. Next is a low shot, having gained confidence after receiving the money.

The narrative is then broken up to go to a memory of the artist and the girl he is singing about. Then the location changes again to show our artist on a bridge, the camera tracks around the artist to show off the location but still  the focus is on the artist.

We return to the busking scene, and again our artist is lip syncing and playing the guitar. The artist then walks down the stet and the camera tracks behind him. Then there is a shot of his feet as he is walking. here is then a long shot of him standing at a bus stop. This then goes into another memory shot during the chorus.

The memory shot is finished by a stick breaking, symbolising the end of their relationship. This is followed by our artist on a bus. The camera then zooms out of the window. There is then another shot on the bridge where the camera pans around the artist. This finishes with a high shot to make him look vulnerable.

There is a shot of our artist getting off the bus and the camera and around to follow him. There is then a shot of him walking towards the camera. Then he starts running and the camera tracks alongside him, this should exaggerate the tempo. The video finishes with our artist at the door of his dream girl's house.

Lyric Analysis - Further Than Feelings

This is the song we have chosen for our music video. We feel that it has a good temp to work with and the lyrics allow us to create a clear narrative. Our main narrative is a love story. Our artist and a girl have broken up and our artist is now going to meet the girl again. he song revolves around feelings and we have interpreted this to mean his feelings for the girl. The chorus suggests that the artist wants to be closer to this girl and we have shown this in the narrative by him returning to the girls house at the end. While the love story is going on our artist will be busking during the performance shots. We have chosen to do this because of the lyrics weird, weird life. By busking we build up a representation of him as an unsettled character without structure to his life or a clear aim he is working towards.
 

 

    I don't know, I don't know if it's just me,

But my mind, feels like, a jazz bar on Southbank, almost all of the time,

Since you came, running skipping tripping over my weird weird life,

Now I wanna spend, all my days, rushing home just to hold your,

Pretty head in my chest at night, so,

  Come a little closer, I wanna know just who you are,

I wanna swim deep in your spirit, And then dry off in your heart,

I wanna throw away the butterflies, And grow eagles wings,

Cus that's how we see things,

yeah it's further than feelings... (x4)

            I don't know, I don't know if it's just me

But my mind, feels like, two feet walking in the snow, without the cold toes,

Since you made, something even more strange out of my weird weird life,

Now I wanna spend, all my days,

Laughing so hard I can feel your heart against my chest at night,

  Come a little closer, I wanna know just who you are,

I wanna swim deep in your spirit, And then dry off in your heart,

I wanna throw away the butterflies, And grow eagles wings,

Cus that's how we see things,

yeah it's further than feelings... (x3)

It's further than feelings.

My Role

I have been appointed director for the music video task in my group. I am responsible for creating the storyboard and shot list. I will also instruct our actors and set up the shots to make sure that they adhere to the storyboard. Giving direction to our actors is another part of my job. I will be organising when we will be shooting and making sure it runs smoothly.

Andrew Goodwin's Music Video Theory

Andrew Goodwin's theory states five common features of music videos:

• Thought beats - Seeing the sound. It's the music itself and its structure. It includes the artist's voice and helps promote individual identity and star image.

• Narrative and Performance - the audience only gets a hint of a meaning from the song and video combined which they then make their own assumptions. Narratives or more commonly performance shots are repeated in the chorus. Lip syncing has to make the story appear real to the audience. We are creating a love story. The narrative includes our artist busking and travelling to meet a girls while at the same time having flash backs of time spent with this girl. The audience can then interpret what the relationship between the two is.

• The star image - Mise-en-scene plays a huge part in portraying the artist as a star. We are going to focus on our artist throughout the video. Close ups and tracking shots that follow our artist will hopefully connote star image.

• Relating the visuals to the song - Illustrating the meanings of the lyrics. It includes genre. The three ways to do this are:

 

Our video fits into the illustrate category. The narrative reflects the lyrics.



• Technical aspects of music videos - Technical aspects hold the music video together through use of camera movement and angles, mise-en-scene, editing, sound and special effects. Mise-en-scene is of vital importance to fit the genre, build the star image of the artist and maintain the professionalism of the video. Music videos match the use of cuts with the beat and rhythm of the song.  A range of camera shots and movements will be utilised in our video. The mise en scene will be used to adhere to the indie genre.

Treatment

The song we have chosen for our music video is Joel Baker's Further Than Feelings.
To star we see our artist busking with his guitar. He then starts to sing the song and play it on the guitar. There will be a mix of close ups and medium shots, while someone gives him some money, showing he is successful at this level. This sequence will also include a close up of the guitar he is playing, which is a general convention of an indie music video and helps us create his indie image. Memories and flash backs will be included showing Jack and the girl character he is trying to get to, suggesting, as the song does, that he has lost this girl and desperately wants her back. These will be happy memories, of them taking a romantic stroll in a park. We plan on using a bridge to make the location interesting. We are wanting to rotate the camera around the artist to show off the location. Then, Jack gets enough money by busking tog and see the girl on a bus. We'll use shots of him on a bus and the end will have our artist at the door of the girls house.

Analysis - Jake Bugg Two Fingers

Jake Bugg - Two Fingers

 

The video has a strong and clear narrative that runs throughout and matches the song lyrics. It is almost a short film, showing conventions of films such as the opening credits, showing the actors and the title of the song. There is also an antagonist, shown by him arguing and fighting with the protagonist - the artist. This shows the artist as the star.

 

It is filmed in a working class setting with derelict buildings, railings, bus stops etc. The diegetic sound of the traffic at the very start of the video helps set the scene. The costume that all the actors wear supports the working class theme. The actors are shown smoking which is commonly associated with working class. The video shows aspects of the artists lifestyle such as family life, music and his social life which is combined with the theme which  the audience relate to the artist because they are familiar with the mise en scene and narrative. Symbolism such as the red wine on the wall which could symbolise blood. Symbolism is a convention of indie music videos. The performance shots show the artist performing live in front of an audience. This brings the focus away from the main narrative and back to the song. It shows people enjoying the music and encourages viewers of the video to do so also.

 

At the start of the video, there is a slow cutting speed and as the music builds, the cutting speed increases . This stops the video becoming repetitive and make it feel as if it is building up to something. There is a lot of slow motion used and this is used to emphasise parts of the narrative that are significant. It also helps change the pace of the video in relation to the song, used to stop repetition. The artist is brought into focus when in the foreground of the shot, which shows he is the star and adds depth to the shot.

 

At the start of the video long shots and establishing shots are used, this is to show the working class setting. Then, mainly close ups are used. Close ups of instruments and microphones give the video an indie feel, which is what the artist is trying to achieve. Close ups of faces help to make the narrative clear and are combined with slow motion to highlight emotions further. On several occasions the camera pans and tracks to follow the artist, connoting that he is the star.