Evaluation (One).

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

As the genre of my chosen song is indie/rock, it made sense to compare it with other songs of a similar genre. The way in which the video was shot and cut was suited to the tempo and the general feel of the song, obviously making it different to a video of another genre. I also studied the subtle conventions prevalent within this genre, mystery and despair as well as alcohol and drug usage - indie/rock is quite a rustic, unpolished genre in it's themes, look and lyrical content.

Regarding the content and chronological ordering it's fairly 'random', though many visual elements closely represent the lyrical values of the song. It's tempo and pace of editing closely resembles other videos of a similar genre, keeping it entertaining and fresh with the little content I had. This stlye of editing and the content of the video help to create a sense of unknowing and unpredictability, conforming to and complementing the genre. One feature of Foster the People's video for Pumped Up Kicks that I really admired is the colour correction on all of the shots, the black tones within the images are given a blueish hazy hue - making it look weathered and giving it a sunwashed vintage feel. As my song is of a similar genre, I felt it was appropriate to take this element and apply it to my own video.

One theory that I refered to was Goodwin's theory of music videos which analyses the following aspects of a music video:

Relationship between the lyrics and the visuals.

This is where there's a link between the lyrics of the song and the visual content of the video in order to illustrate, contradict or amplify one another. When planning for my video I highlighted certain lines within the song that I felt were key to represent, I then decided on how to illustrate these lines visually. Two lines in particular were "Future's in a whisky bottle...", accompanied by a shot of the character picking up a whisky bottle, and "daddy owns a lake house..." in which we see the character looking at pictures of his lakehouse. Although I'm happy with how the shots look regarding composition and colour, when coupled with the music it seems a bit obvious and cliché. Another example that I'm happier with is the opening line "Justin's just your architypal...", upon this line there is an establishing shot of our character - introducing him simultanioulsy within the lyrics and within the video.    

Relationship between the music and the visuals.

This is where there's an obvious link between the music itself and the visuals/editing within the video. I knew from the beginning that I wanted cuts between shots to be simple and abrupt in order to mirror the style of the song, and obviously upon beginning the editing I was able to synch these cuts to significant beats within the song. I sometimes cut on a heavy guitar strum or one of the more prominent drum beats, this created not only structure for the video but also helped us awkwardly flow with the music and the events within the video. There are parts of the chorus where there are two drum beats in very quick succession, I highlighted and amplified these by adding two very fast jump cuts on the specific beats - this aims to engage the viewer and keep the video visually interesting. In one case I applied a fade-in frame between two separate shots, very quickly fading to black and then into the new shot (1.30 - 1.34). However, I had originally planned on this being a subtle white flash as frequently seen on old film footage, unfortunately I wasn't able to achieve this on the software available.      

Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics. 

Very self explanatory; there are genre characteristics prevalent within the music video in order for the audience to create preconceptions due to prior exposure to this genre. I studied other music videos of the same musical genre, such as Foster the People's "Pumped Up Kicks", Beck's "Loser" and Cage the Elephants "Ain't No Rest for the Wicked". The video's are a mixture of performance, home movies and narratives; all of a very alternative visual genre. Pumped Up Kicks is primarily a home footage based video designed to expose the band while touring, with scenes clearly filmed by each one of the three members. I really liked this interaction with the camera as it brings the viewer into the video and enables us to connect with the song on a different level. This theme is largely prevalent within the first half of my video, showing the character having 'a good time', laughing and joking with the camera (us). I then utilized the more 'random' and seemingly unimportant setting shots as seen within Loser, in which we see a lot of religious connotations and fixed establishing shots. I admired the religious themes within this video and subtly applied it to my own, it was appropriate as the song itself holds some religious content. 

The demands of the record label will include the need for lots of close-ups of the artist and the artist may develop motifs which recur across their work.

This is obviously where the artist is featured within the video, performance or acting, in order to affiliate with the audience and vice versa. I actually chose not to follow this theme as the song is purely narrative based, there is no reference to the artist or the feelings of the artist within the song, so I felt that a completely narrative based video was more appropriate.


Digipak and Magazine Advertisement.

I also used other media products (as well as my music video) to influence both my magazine advertisement and my CD cover. Looking at other 'indie' artists, I found that they tended to use card sleeves for their CD casing. I felt that the 'understated' and simple packaging reflects on the general vibe given off by artists of this genre, as well as giving the consumer an item with more sentimental/keep-sake value. The use of raw materials such as card gives a more rustic feel to the packaging, this rough look mirrors the genre of the music as well as hopefully making it more appealing to the consumer. I also feel that a 'home made' look within the packaging highlights the make-shift theme surrounding the character of the single being promoted, connecting the song itself with the way it's presented to audiences in the market. 

When I looked at the packaging for Broken Social Scene I was intrigued by the home made style of it, and decided that I wanted my own packaging to utilise this. Their cover used not only a simplistic font, but made sure that it was unmissable; this may be because the band is fairly unknown and is a way of imprinting the name in the consumers mind. You can also see that this is in fact a special edition case, meaning hopefully the consumer will be more inclined to buy it on an impulse. If I create a case reminiscent of a special edition item, the selling point would be it's individuality and uniqueness.   



I decided to use a piece of my artwork from my sketchbook for the CD cover, I felt that the bold and busy colours would look particularly striking printed on card as well as complimenting the complex character of 'Justin' within the song. The male figure within the painting is looking down, almost withdrawn and ashamed; again reflecting the despair prevalent within the character. I used very a simple and understated font for the cover, conflicting with the striking background. This choice of font was inspired by the font used by a band called 'GroupLove', they're consistent with this font over a wide variety of the band's advertisement. The simplistic lettering helps to detract attention away from the artwork and bring it onto the band's name. 

As for the magazine advert, I decided to use the same image as my album cover in order to allow the audience to familiarise themselves with the style of the band. This means they could see the advert within a magazine (NME for example), go into a music store (e.g. HMV) and instantly be able to identify the album/single among the many other CDs on the shelves. I've also used the same font for the very same reason; audiences with be able to become connected to the band on a new level and be able to recognise them in any context - whether it's on a billboard or on a poster for a music festival. Again, GroupLove are a good example of this, as they use the same lettering in all of their advertisement and promotion in order to be recognised anywhere.    








Final Digipak and Magazine Advertisement:

CD Case.

Magazine Advertisement.

Research Into Consumers and Audience.

The general genre for the video and the song would have to be 'indie rock' due to it's blend of sub genres such as indie, southern rock, blues etc. - it's slightly individual in it's make up.

Looking at other bands who've influenced the song and their similarities to the song, such as Beck, Cage the Elephant, and Foster the People, I can safely say that the target audience will be very similar.

Audience Profile.

Gender - Male and female.

Age - Early twenties to early thirties.

Style/Demeanor - Retro/laid back/comfortable

Social Class - Lower and middle.

Media Intake - Magazines, blogs, radio

Occupation - Varying: Media/Fashion/Art/Student

I also looked these bands up on iTunes, and looked at what consumers were purchasing as well as these artists. This gave me a more accurate idea about who I would be potentially aiming this video at.

As you can see other artists bought by these consumers were Radiohead, The White Stripes (another influence), Gotye, Bombay Bicycle Club etc. All of these bands belong to a similar 'alternative' genre, and people recognise this and use genre as a tool to seek out new things. 

This is the type of audience I want to access. 

Final Video - Autumn Term - Layers.

The final edited version of the video for Layers by Autumn Term.

Story Line.

Sequence One (Cabin).
Mid shot of Justin opening curtains, letting in the sunshine of a new day - our preconceptions are that he's light and happy. Good natural lighting, resembling clean and pure happiness. 


Close up profile shot of Justin (I'll reference him as J) pulling on his hoody on another beat of the song - he's in synch and on track as it were. 


Mid shot from outside the cabin, J opens the door on another beat of the song and walks out of shot. He's occupied, got plans - this is how he wants his peers to see him in general. 


Sequence Two (Bikes).
Random and fast paced cuts between different angles on bikes. Camera is hand held to create an imperfect effect - J interacts with camera to create the sense that the camera (audience) is actually with J and living his life with him. 


On the opening line "Justin's just your..." the shot cuts to a mid/close up on J - officially introducing the audience to it's subject. 


Sequence Three (Church).
On the line "Apparent that he's living the ghetto gospel dream..." the shot cuts to a moving shot approaching a green church - representing 'gospel dream'. The camera proceeds to follow (again in a home movie style) J into the church grounds. The shot is sped up in order to create the old vintage home movie effect. Cut away to a still mid/long shot of J leaning up against the church wall. The wall fills the whole frame, representing how his life is apparently controlled by religion and God. 


Sequence Four (Photo Album).
Cut away again to another heavily sped up sequence (home movie effect) of J showing the camera a photo album full of pictures that supposedly belong to him. He shows a picture of a house and a car - referring to the lines "daddy owns a lakehouse..." and "got a custom chevrolet" - they're fake - much like his life at this point.


Sequence Five (Trailer).
Camera (hand held) approaches J sitting on trailer - he appears to be unaware or not interested in the camera. We're beginning to enter the more voyeuristic side of his life. Cut on line of "his brain is full of ego..." to shot of camera approaching him outside of church - he smirks almost cunningly - is he planning something or hiding something? 


Sequence Six (Chorus One).
Almost as if we've entered his perspective, the camera is fixed onto his person - meaning we move with him. The cuts between shots are fast paced and rough - he's beginning to fall into turmoil. He wanders aimlessly and lost - showing signs of frustration - we begin to enter his real life.


Sequence Seven (Car Mirror).
Shot from inside the car, camera looks into side mirror - we see J walk into shot. He sees car - shifts about suspiciously before pulls up his hood and approaches car. Couple of jump cuts on beats in song. 


Sequence Eight (Filler Shots).
Filler shots of church again and abandoned machinery. Cutting between one extreme to another - belonging and community with religion to seclusion and isolation in cold metal mechanical life. Cuts on each beat to maintain pace.


Sequence Nine (Dusk Car & Whisky).
Shot from inside car - J sits on bonnet in silhouette looking out over empty field - mirrors isolation and sadness.


Cut on beat to panning across road following the headlight beams.


Cut again on beat to close up shot of J's legs and whisky bottle - referring to "future's in a whisky bottle" - he grabs whisky bottle aggressively. 


Lighting is dark and dingy - representing the fall into darkness and seclusion of his life. 


Cut on beat to J laying fully clothed in bath - drinking his whisky - drowning out his sorrows with drink and water in bath.


Phase shot back to mid shot of J sitting on bonnet (camera side on) smoking and looking aimlessly out into distance - refers to line "melodramatic gaze..."


Cut on beat to extreme long shot of J standing motionless in field - lost and confused - literally and metaphorically. 


Sequence Ten (Final Chorus).
In total darkness two headlights flicker erratically across frame. Represent J's life flickering in and out of focus - unpredictable dangerous. 


Car pulls up quickly - dust floats around headlights - murky and clouded like his judgement. He staggers out - drunk.  


Cut to J collapsing into chair. Various cuts to him drinking/smoking or just sitting and thinking. Cuts again are quick choppy and erratic - mirroring his demeanor. Quick close up shots of J burning photo's from earlier - burning away dreams and falsities. 


Quick short cuts to scenes from earlier in reverse i.e. church scene backwards - it never happened - it's all untrue. 


On last line of song - all slowing down - J leans forward, holds his face in despair - looks up straight into camera and holds eye contact - looking for help.


Shot blacks out - end of video and song.   

Individual Responsibilities.

Due to the fact that I'm now working independently, all responsibilities of the planning, shooting and editing of the video were entirely my own. Including:


- Location
- Story
- Casting
- Props/Objects
- Looking after the equipment
- Schedules
- Filming
- Directing
- Editing 

Locations, Costumes, Objects and Props.

Locations. 

There were three main locations that featured in the video; two small villages Briningham and Wood Dalling as well as my home. 


Both Briningham and Wood Dalling are incredibly rural and secluded villages, bringing about a sense of isolation that is heavily felt by the character, Justin. Not only did this match the mood of the song, but it made it an easier location to film in, you rarely saw anyone else and therefore didn't have to worry about treading on anyone's toes.


The other location in which we filmed, was around my house. My home is very 'make-shift' and quirky as well as being very imperfect - again this heavily mirrors how I want the audience to view Justin and his life. Callum's house is very much the same, and he has old vintage bikes and tractors laying around the land, so this provided some interesting visuals for the video. 

All of the locations were incredibly easy to access as they're all in very close proximity of each other, making the actual shoot of the video very time and cost effective. 


One key location, and one of my personal favourites, was the old tin church in my village. I find the church reflected on the subtle religious connotations of the song, but it also brought about a southern american feel with it's tin frame and rusty charm - again reflecting on the southern influences of the song.   


Costume.
I wanted the character to seem very subtle but quirky, smart but also a bit rough around the edges. I asked Callum to wear jeans with a smart shirt, and his chunky knit hoody. The combination of the clothes seemed contradictory but gelled together well, creating a smart casual, stylish yet laid back and effortless look - much like Justin himself. 


Objects and Props.

There were only a few props, but they held weight with the lyricism of the song. The main props were the whisky bottle, which directly references the line "future's in a whisky bottle", as well as his frequent lighting up of a cigarette. These two mainly reflect the imperfections of Justin, and the self destruction that he's indulging himself in - they represent a certain sad weakness in his character, dependence on something so harmful. I also used a photo album, in which Justin shows the character a picture of a house and of a car; referencing the lines "daddy owns the lake house..." and "got a custom Chevrolet means to him more than you do...". These represent the falsities within Justin, the need to seem happy and fine in order to be idolised an respected.  

Casting.

I chose a good friend of mine to play the role of Justin. Callum Smiles and I grew up together, so I had a good gage on what he'd be like to work with. The character of Justin is in no way simple, he's conflicted and interesting, and I needed someone to bring the character to life. Callum's not only easy and fun to work with, but he's got a huge personality that seeps into every aspect of the role he's playing. I feel that without appropriate acting the character would've easily seemed flat and dull, however Callum's general demeanor made sure that the subject was interesting and easy to scrutinise. 



Callum's 'look' was also very similar and appropriate to the role. I envisioned Justin to be attractive, handsome, but also slightly scruffy and slightly troubled - not saying that Callum is troubled, but he suited the vision I had of a strong character that was subtle and effortless. 

Organisation of Time, Equipment and Shooting Schedule.

Equipment.
The main equipment being used is obviously the Sony Handycam (possession of the College), and the appropriate tripod. I also made use of bikes and my car for interesting shooting styles; for example during the scenes in which Callum (the actor) was riding a bike, I was also riding a bike with the camera fixed steadily to me in order to, not only keep up with him, but to create a sense that both the character and the audience (camera) are involved and interacting. I made use of this equipment over the two days of filming. 


Shooting Schedule.
In regard to my shooting schedule, I split the shooting into locations; for example shooting around my house was all filmed together, shooting in Briningham was all filmed in one block - regardless of the actual order within the final edit. 


Initially I had planned to shoot a large proportion of the video in a coastal location, however due to work commitments and timing issues, I had to improvise and make the decision to re-write those scenes to suit a different environment that was far easier to access in the time I had. 


Key of Locations:
Briningham/Melton Constable
My House
Wood Dalling


Sunday Evening (1st of April):
Sequences and shots for the second verse of the song and the very beginning of the final chorus.


18.30 - Scene in which Justin walks into reflection of the car mirror and approaches the vehicle. Filmed in my driveway at my home.

18.45 - Continue to drive further down the road into a more isolated location situated just off the road between two fields, this is where the low light dusky scenes are filmed where Justin is seen sitting on the car bonnet looking into the distance (from both inside and outside the car)/walking out into the field shot from inside the car/and also the scene in which (with the camera in a fixed position) the car pulls into a dusty side road where Justin gets out and staggers past the camera. This all took approximately an hour to capture due to retakes and experiments with different camera angles. 


19.45 - We then returned home to shoot the last two scenes of the night. Firstly we shot the scene in which a low camera angle (with the camera set on the floor) captures Justin's feet and the whiskey bottle, he then aggressively grabs the bottle - still with only the bottle and feet/legs in shot. 


20.00 - Upon filling the bath up, I set about filming the scene in which you see Justin moodily laying in the bath fully clothed drinking his whiskey. This took two takes, one from a high angle from more the front, and another high angle from behind him. 


Monday Daytime (2nd of April):
Sequences and shots from the first verse and both choruses. 


11.30 - Began by shooting the scene inside the cabin (very first scenes of the video) in which Justin opens the curtains, pulls on his hoody and steps out of the door. Took approx. 10 minutes in order to capture different takes from different angles and such. 




11.40 - Capture of the scene in which Justin looks through photo album in a home movie style.


11.50/12.30 - I then decided to film all of the 'fixed camera' scenes in one block so that we didn't have to attach the camera to Callum again. After experimenting with the tripod etc for a while, it wasn't until about 12.30 that we began shooting again. We firstly travelled up just out of Briningham to Melton Constable to capture the scenes in which Justin is aimlessly walking about with the camera fixed to him during the first chorus.


13.00 - With the camera still fixed we then filmed the entire scene within the dark shed in the final chorus. 


13.50 - We travelled up to the green tin church located in outer Briningham to shoot the scenes surrounding it i.e. the shots of Justin entering the church grounds and leaning against the church walls as well as any long shots of the church itself. 


14.30 - We then arrived in Wood Dalling where Callum actually lives. I took some mid to long shots of the surrounding environment such as the tractors and the bikes before setting off on the bikes.


14.40 - We began to shoot the scenes in which Justin is biking around, as well as the shot of the big red trailer. This took roughly 20 minutes.