First Shots Filmed

Following my filming schedule, I have recently filmed the shots of the girl playing with the dolls house and the boy without his top on, drinking beer. I had to re shoot the shots of the girl playing with the dolls house as the lighting kept changing and it wasn't consistent throughout the shots. In the re shoot of the scenes, I managed to control the lighting of the shots a bit more but when I edited the shots, I had to change the colour and saturation slightly, to even out the lighting. This did however create a dream slight effect, which I wanted to incorporate in these first couple of shots.

When filming the shots of the boy without his top on, drinking beer, I didn't have much time as the weather was extremely cold and I didn't want the actor to get too cold. I did however manage to get a range of shots, which I worked with when editing. The lighting was again a bit of a problem, but I will try and change the colour and saturation to even this out. I found once filming the shots, that there were some inconsistencies and continuity within the scenes. Therefore, I may have to re shoot a couple of the shots of the boy.

Filming Schedule

Ancillary - Album Advert Designs

Similarly to my digipak designs, here are some rough digital designs, using images that I have manipulated on Adobe Photoshop for the album adverts. I have used urban and Banksy elements again to influence my album advert. I have used the red balloon as a key feature on the first design, with the young girl reaching out to grab hold of the balloon (a sign of freedom and hope). I played around with Adobe Photoshop and managed to create a 'brick' curtain using different effects that I had found. The girl is breaking out of the wall, which represents how society has trapped her and is reaching for hope. In my second design, I used a photo that I had taken when filming part of my music video at the train tracks in Bristol. I again played around with Adobe Photoshop and added an effect to the image, to make it have a cartoon like appearance. Within both designs, I have used the recognisable Imagine Dragons font for their name and also, a bold, block font for the title of the album and the information about the album. The bold, bright white font stands out against the slightly darker backgrounds and is eye catching to the target audience. I have included a small snapshot of the actual digipak front cover, so that the target audience would be able to easily associate the album advert with the album case.

Album Advert Design 1:

Album Advert Design 2:

Ancillary - Digipak Designs

I have designed a couple of different digipaks to accompany my music video. I played around with the idea of an urban styled digipack to fit in with the locations that I will use for my music video. One particular location which I will use a lot for the music video, will be Bristol. Certain areas of Bristol have the element of a destroyed society, through the rubbish, deserted areas, gangs, graffiti and just a general dirty appearance. The graffiti aspect is an idea, which I will incorporate into the actual video, giving it an urban feel. I feel that I could play on that idea for both the digipack and the album advert.

One particular graffiti artist that really interests me, is Banksy. Banksy is an anonymous Bristol based graffiti artist. His cynical street art and amusing comments on society, combine dark humour with graffiti, done in a distinctive stencilling technique. His artistic works of political and social comments have been featured on streets, walls, and bridges of cities throughout the world. I really like the way that Banksy conveys a message across through his art. His political and social remarks are quite controversial but stand out, making it noticeable. I will experiment with using different images, in the style of Banksy, to convey the message of the song. I am creating a video, with the idea of breathing new life into a destroyed society, using a character of innocence and vulnerability, in order to portray the idea of complete destruction being healed by something as simple as naivety. Therefore, I will use this idea to influence the appearance and message that the images convey on my digipack and album advert. I will also use the red balloon, which is a symbol of hope, as a main feature on my digipack, which fits in with the lyrics, "new age".

Below are some rough digital designs with images and ideas that I could include in my final digipak product. I have used urban and Banksy elements with the red balloon as a recurring feature in the first digipak design. I have used different brick walls and locations that I used when making the music video, for my actual digipak pages. In my second design, I used photos that I took of old trains that I found when filming my scenes at the train tracks in Bristol. Within both designs, I have used the recognisable Imagine Dragons font for their name and also, a bold, block font for the title of the album. The bold, bright white font stands out against the slightly darker backgrounds and is eye catching to the target audience.

Digipak Design 1:



Digipak Design 2:

Story Board

Here is a written story board list for my music video, in addition to the picture story board below.

1. Girl is playing with old dolls house. 0:06
2. Girl sees balloon stuck in a tree outside. 0:11
3. Girl stands up to go to get the balloon. 0:18
4. She goes outside and retrieves the balloon. 0:27
5. On the beat, the girl jumps in a puddle. 0:28
6. Shot of lead singer, singing. 0:32
7. Girl is walking in an isolated location with the balloon.
8. Close up of girl gasping. 0:39
9. Girl passes an old couple who are having tea on some train tracks.
10. Medium close up of old couple having tea.
11. Close up of old people's faces changing. 0:55
12. Shot of lead singer banging a drum, with flour/icing sugar (which looks like smoke). 0:56
13. She then passes two young boys sat on the side of the road, playing on a whole computer.
14. Mid shot from behind. 1:02
15. Shot of lead singer, singing. 1:10
16. Prostitute hanging around a street corner. 1:16
17. Two young girls sat at the side of the street in pretty dresses but messed up hair, begging for money with flowers.
18. Close up shot, emphasis of the colour of the flowers changing. 1:24
19. Girl walks past failed business man sat in the middle of the road, eating a posh roast dinner.
20. Close up of man eating. 1:33
21. She pulls the balloon into shot. 1:35
22. Close up of girl’s face. 1:37
23. Girl then walks through a house where a teenage girl is sat cross legged on the floor in front of a fuzzy TV screen. 1:46
24. Girl runs past window with lady watering vegetables in cans. 1:50
25. Shot of lead singer singing. 1:59
26. Shot of guitar being played. 2:03
27. Girl then walks through a football game where young children are playing; one of the children is dressed up in an eccentric costume. 2:13
28. Shot of drums being played. 2:17
29. Medium close up of child in eccentric costume. 2:17
30. Girl walks past a teenage boy without a shirt, with a long scar down his back, drinking beer.
31. Close up of him drinking the beer. 2:27
32. Girl runs past a middle aged woman, doing graffiti on a wall. 2:33
33. Happier music is introduced, which is the start of all of the locations coming into full colour and the characters becoming happy and full of hope.
34. Close up of old man pulling on old woman’s hand. 2:34
35. Old couple dancing together. 2:38
36. Close up of the flowers turning into bright colours.
37. Medium close up of the two girls giggling together. 2:41
38. Failed business man rips away napkin, tucked into his shirt and smiles. 2:45
39. The TV screen suddenly turns on. 2:49
40. Girl and child in the eccentric costume hold hands and skip around in a circle. 2:52
41. Teenage boy pushes away beer bottles. 2:54
42. Girl grabs the middle aged woman’s hand and pulls her away from doing the graffiti on the wall. 2:58
43. Girl runs along the grass – shot from behind. 3:00
44. Close up of girl turning her head around, to face the camera. 3:02
45. Final shot – Long shot of a silhouette of the girl stood on a hill with the red balloon. 3:04

As the girl passes each location before 2:32, colour is slowly introduced into each scene.

Representation of Artist

Young children are represented in particular way within the media. The media often depict children merely as passive, silent ‘victims’. Children are predominantly represented as victims and unable to stand up for themselves. For example, in the music video for ‘First of the Year (Equinox)’ by American electronic music producer Skrillex, shows a hooded, innocent looking girl followed by a pedophile. On the whole, children are portrayed most often in negative terms and in limited roles. I however, I want to challenge these ideas and stereotypes, in order to portray the young girl in my music video as innocent, yet strong willed and ultimately the most powerful individual. I will use typical actions and movements of young children, such as skipping, twirling around, etc. to convey that the girl is still just a young child and that it is her energy that is brightening up humanity. This element of childhood innocence is however referenced Bon Iver’s video for ‘Holocene’. Bon Iver reminds us about the innocence and wonderment of childhood, as the youth skips over rocks over streams and runs across vast meadows, with the soft and dreamy music of ‘Holocene’ in the background.

Location

I will look at a range of locations in preparation for filming the music video. Locations that I will need for the music video include, train tracks by the docks in Bristol, dark sitting room, tall hill, dark drama studio, young girl's bedroom, a range of different roads and street corners, a wall with graffiti on it, a football court, a church hall, garden, male teenager's bedroom, empty car park, etc...  I will need to make sure that the locations look realistic and fit in with the narrative of the music video. Here are photos of some of the locations that I will be using to film my music video.

Props

Similarly to the costumes, I will be using unconventional props, which will look odd in the particular location/scene that they will be placed in. Examples of this include, the old couple having tea on some train tracks, two boys playing on a set up computer at the side of the road, a failed business man sat in the middle of a road, eating a posh roast dinner, a teenage boy drinking beer without his shirt, with a long scar down his back (to represent some kind of war injury), a teenage girl sat in a dark room, staring at a fuzzy TV screen.

I will also be including a motif within the music video. The young girl will be walking with a red balloon, with a link to some lyrics of the song, "We're painted red to fit right in", which will represent the revolution and the forthcoming positive change in the currently destroyed society. Therefore the red balloon will be a symbol of hope for society. I have posted photos of some of the props that I will be using when filming my music video.

Costume

I will include a range of unconventional costumes, to defy audience's expectations of reality, within the music video. Whilst, the young girl will be wearing a pretty vintage dress, to represent her innocence and vulnerability, other characters throughout the music video will be wearing clothing that isn't perceived to be correct. For example, the two young girls sat at the side of the street in pretty dresses, but with messed up hair, begging for money. Also, the failed business man, who is sat in the middle of the road, eating a posh roast dinner, is still wearing his expensive looking suit. Another example would be, when the young girl walks through a football game where children are playing, but one of the children is dressed up in an eccentric costume.

Performance

For the performance element of the song, I will need to find a male who can imitate the lead singer from 'Imagine Dragons'. I will film the shots of the performance aspect of the music video in a darkened drama studio room, which can be well lit to create a mysterious and dramatic effect. The male playing the lead singer, will have a huge drum in front of him, which he will hit on some of the beats, during the song. This will again create an interesting and eerie atmosphere, suitable to the tone of the song. There will also be shots of him miming to parts of the song, which will be interspersed throughout the music video, to create a similar effect to that of the music video by 'The Script' - 'The Man Who Can't Be Moved'.

Mise-en-Scene

For the mise-en-scene aspect of my music video, I want to include odd and unconventional scenes, which purposely make the viewer think and try to comprehend the actual meaning of the song. From my audience research, I found that people rated the song above the music video. Therefore, I will base the ideas and elements in the music video around the lyrics and meaning of the song. I am also going to include both a narrative and a performance element in the music video, to show the diverse aspects of the band.

Different ideas that I had for the unconventional shots in the music video include, an old couple having tea on some train tracks, two boys playing on a set up computer at the side of the road, a failed business man sat in the middle of the road, eating a posh roast dinner, a middle aged woman graffiting a wall, etc... I feel that these eccentric and unrealistic shots, portray a lack of hope and motivation and almost despair and desperation. The idea is that a young innocent girl, full of energy and life, is breathing life back into this destroyed society. That is where black and white shots slowly turn to bright colourful images, to convey a transition from anguish to joy.

I will use elements from different music videos that I have studied and analysed. In the music video for 'The Script' - 'The Man Who Can't Be Moved', I will use the idea of switching between the narrative and performance element in the video. The idea of the band performing in just one place is an interesting idea and so therefore, I will look at different possible locations for the performance aspect of my video. Also from the music video, I will take the idea of someone just wondering down the streets, observing everyday life. I will use this idea in the form of a young girl who doesn't belong in the gloomy, tormented society and sees the consequences of all the destruction.

In the music video for '30 Seconds To Mars' - 'A Beautiful Lie', I will use the idea of the long shot of silhouettes of the band members against the sky, creating interesting shapes and shadows. I like the way the lighting has been used to produce these amazing effects. I will experiment with lighting and casting shadows, to create the desired, similar effect. Some of the slow motion shots in this music video were also really intriguing, so I will look at incorporating similar elements in my own music video.

In the music video for 'The Horrors' - 'Who Can Say', I really like the lighting techniques that have been used, in order to achieve a bright and dramatic appearance. I will look at the way I light the performance aspect of the music video, to create a dramatic effect. Also, in the music video for The Maine - Misery, I really like the use of lighting used. There appears to be a slight sepia effect placed on all of the shots, which is interesting in creating a distress and despair in the main singer. I will play around with different effects, to see which one works the best when I come to editing.

Also, I will use the influence of a video director that I have studied and analysed. Whilst, I really like the animated effect and dark humour that Darcy Prendergast injects into his music videos, I feel that, that particular style isn't suited to the type of music video that I want to produce. However, I am interested in how Michel Gondry creates an unconventional feel to his music videos, an atmosphere that I am interested in creating in my own music video. I like the repetitive nature of visuals and also the skill that he demonstrates by creating lots of long takes within his music videos.

Narrative

Initial Planning Ideas

After completing my research, in preparation for creating a music video, I have decided to use the song 'Radioactive' as the music for the music video that I will be creating. Here is a screenshot of me emailing the executive producer of Imagine Dragon's 'Night Visions' album, asking for permission to use the song.

The song 'Radioactive', is recorded by American Indie Rock band, Imagine Dragons. Radioactive is an indie rock song with elements of electronic rock and dub step, while containing cryptic lyrics of apocalyptic and revolutionist themes. I feel that I could create an interesting and thought provoking music video with this song, whilst making it eye catching and intriguing to watch. My main aim is to hold the viewer's attention, in order to portray key ideas about breathing new life into a destroyed society.

Lyrics:

I'm waking up to ash and dust
I wipe my brow and sweat my rust
I'm breathing in the chemicals

I'm breaking in and shaping up
Then checking out on the prison bus
This is it, the apocalypse, Ohohoh

I'm waking up, I feel it in my bones
Enough to make my system blow
Welcome to the new age, to the new age
Welcome to the new age, to the new age

Chorus:
Ohohohohohohoh, I'm radioactive, radioactive
Ohohohohohohoh, I'm radioactive, radioactive

I raise my flag, dye my clothes
It's a revolution I suppose
We're painted red to fit right in, Ohohoh

I'm breaking in and shaping up
Then checking out on the prison bus
This is it, the apocalypse, Ohohoh

I'm waking up, I feel it in my bones
Enough to make my system blow
Welcome to the new age, to the new age
Welcome to the new age, to the new age

Chorus

All systems go, the sun hasn't died
Deep in my bones, straight from inside

I'm waking up, I feel it in my bones
Enough to make my system blow
Welcome to the new age, to the new age
Welcome to the new age, to the new age

Chorus

Analysis of Lyrics:

The song itself, is kind of an empowering song about an awakening. Dan Reynolds said in an MTV News interview, "A lot of people probably see a post apocalyptic world when they hear 'Radioactive', understandably, but we wanted to deliver something that was maybe a little different from that". It appears to me that the band were trying to convey a deeper idea, than an obvious idea about a post apocalyptic world. In my music video I will try to recreate this idea, in order to make viewers think more about the actual meaning of the video.

He also said, "Radioactive, to me, is a very masculine, powerful sounding song. There is a lot of personal story behind it, portrayed through the lyrics. Generally speaking, it's a song about having an awakening; kind of waking up one day and deciding to do something new and see life in a fresh way."

I really want to play on the idea of breathing new life into a society and making people wake up and see how they could make their lives better. I will try to incorporate a character into the music video, who will represent this idea. I will need to create an character of innocence and vulnerability, in order to portray the idea of complete destruction being healed by something as simple as naivety. Also, the words, "new age" in the song, portray an idea of a new world emerging and creating a new and exciting life for themselves.

The original music video for 'Radioactive' is slightly strange and the puppet element to the music video defies audience's expectations of what the video could have been like. Although a serious song, the puppets provides a humorous aspect to the music video, which perhaps takes away from the message of the song. However, it does create an intriguing and eye catching video. Whilst, I want to incorporate the serious message of the song into the music video, I will try to use eye catching shots and ideas, to grab the viewer's attention.

Another Video Director - Michel Gondry

Michel Gondry was born May 8, 1963 in Versailles, France. He is an Academy Award winning French filmmaker, whose works include being a commercial director, music video director, and a screenwriter. He is noted for his inventive visual style and manipulation of mise en scène. 

His career as a filmmaker began with creating music videos for the French rock band 'Oui Oui', in which he also served as a drummer. The style of his videos for 'Oui Oui' caught the attention of music artist 'Björk', who asked him to direct the video for her song 'Human Behaviour'. The collaboration proved long-lasting, with Gondry directing a total of eight music videos for Björk. Other artists who have collaborated with Gondry on more than one occasion include Daft Punk, The White Stripes, The Chemical Brothers, The Vines, Steriogram, Radiohead, and Beck.

Michel Gondry has his own style of directing and making music videos, that all have an unconventional feel to them. His style of videos makes them all feel separated from the real world, like dreams, by using different camera tricks and editing. He is a clear example of an auteur. (The auteur theory was first put forward in the 1950s by François Truffaut. The theory states that a director's films reflect that director's personal creative vision. The author's creative voice is distinctive and is noticeable in all of their work).

In particular, music artist, Mia Doi Todd's video, 'Open Your Heart' is very distinctive. In this music video the visuals are very repetitive, and the audience can see the same things happening over and over again. The video is made up of mostly long takes, with some lasting up to 40 seconds. He also demonstrates a large depth of field and uses optical illusions to stun the audience. After watching this music video, it is evident that Michel Gondry's auteur signature has a repetitive nature and is usually shot in one long single shot, rather than short, sharp cuts. It is obvious that his music videos are dependent on the audience watching the entire video, to grasp the effect that Michel Gondry is trying to create within the music video.

How Music Videos have Evolved

Music videos first became popular in the 1980s. In fact, MTV was put on the air in August 1981. On their first day of broadcast, they aired music videos like 'Video Killed the Radio Star' by The Buggles, 'Hold on Loosely' by 38 Special, and 'Keep on Loving You' by REO Speedwagon. These videos were new and exciting at the time. In particular, 'Video Killed the Radio Star' was seen as a statement of intent that music videos would take the world by storm. Although only a simple video, showing the musicians of The Buggles just playing their instruments while the song was being featured, it had a big impact on music artists, encouraging them to promote their songs with music videos. 

After the crude and simple music videos of the early 80s, the whole concept of music videos began to change. Many musicians and recording artists took music videos as an opportunity to give more depth to their song and their image. However, a lot of artists also used music videos for activism purposes, encouraging people in the United States and around the world to listen and pay attention to the powerful, yet simple voice and image of change. This can be seen in an early Bob Dylan video for his song 'Subterranean Homesick Blues', in which Dylan simply sits and holds cards containing the lyrics to his songs. This video is known around the world for its simplicity and style. Music videos were still beginning to gain momentum. Duran Duran, is another example, who used locations and exerts from films to promote their songs in their music videos, showing how budgets for music videos were gradually increasing.

MTV really took off when more of the population were watching cable television. Access for music videos was now easier than ever and it became the norm for music artists to make music videos, to accompany their songs. The most iconic music video of the 80s was considered to be 'Thriller' by Michael Jackson. It had a 14 minute run time and cost $500,000 to produce. He was also one of the first African American artists to be aired on MTV, which started to show the significance of music videos in society at the time.

During the 90s, music video production became more cinematic and the budgets were bigger. Artists like Michael Jackson and Madonna had some of the most expensive videos of that era, typically costing £5-7 million to produce. MTV2 was later launched in 1996 to show more alternative music like Nirvana, to attract a wider audience.

In 2005, YouTube was launched. Accessing music videos became easier than ever and was instant for users. People could now watch music videos at any time rather than only when it was being broadcasted on TV. Some music artists saw it at first as financially unviable, but others saw it as a way to advertise their music. The band 'OK Go' rose to fame through YouTube videos that showed them doing synchronised dancing on treadmills. Unsigned bands and artists used YouTube to promote their talents and music, in the hope that they would get recognition. The company VIVO and YouTube worked together so that artists would still get money for their music videos via advertisement. However, users still upload videos that don’t produce income to the music industry. Although, most see this as free advertisement for their music.

In today's culture, music videos have changed drastically. Throughout the 80s, the majority of music videos still stuck to the performance variety. However, the 90s brought out more plot driven videos like 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' by grunge-rock group 'Nirvana'. Music videos like this one enabled music artists of the 90s to take a political spin on their image. Bands also now take the time to shoot their music videos, which can take a few days to produce. Millions are spent on the production of music videos more than ever and videos are now viewed freely on many internet sites, including YouTube. Sexual content and crudeness is more widely accepted in music videos, however some videos still get banned. Since 2000 and up until today, the way in which music videos are approached by music artists, has completely changed. Artists are being more experimental and creative with their music videos, in order to portray a wider message about the song and music that they have produced.