Second by Second Shot List

As our filming date is coming up very soon, i have put together a second by second shot list to help us with the organisation of our day. The shot list will also act like a checklist so we can make sure that we cover all areas we need to and every possible shot to have the best outcome.

Music Video Similar to Mine

It can be a difficult task to film on the streets due to them being over crowded and you can't plan what it going to happen. To see how to film the most effective way I have done some research into my location and filming by watching a video by Jamie Morrison called 'You Give Me Something'. This has given my insight because i can see along with my urban street photography which shots to use in the most effective way.

James is in the street singing with his guitar showing he is an organic artist. He is in half the shot which shows that he is lonely as he has been positioned not to fill up the shot. He has people looking at him in the background which makes the shot more realistic. This relates to target audience because we want our music video to be natural like this as it is more relatable to make the star have more organic elements with real people looking. This relates to genre as it is iconic and people looking at him makes the shots look more realistic.

This shallow focus shot shows James in focus showing his star quality. This is a convention of Richard Dyer who says that the record company demand close ups of the main star. I like the use of the focus on him which makes the star seem important. To use this for our music video we can maybe put the main star not in focus as she is dead which will make her stand out in an abstract way to the audience. This relates to our pop genre as the close ups are demanded in a music video.

Candy- Research into Music Videos

Problems with my Idea

A problem I am facing is that i don't know if the narrative will be clear, we are trying to show throughout that our main character is a ghost. We aren't sure if this will be obvious to the audience by the end of the song or decide if we want to go a different direction and make it so that there is always two of her in the scene as she is reliving her day to see what went wrong but this will need research on how to do. This could then lead us to a different narrative strang which is that throughout the music video Jonah is recieving the bad news and she is there in ghost form watching. This could be Jonah crying and being upset which will bring the audience to empathise with him. This could then cut to Jonah getting messages from all the different girls. For this reason we may have to make our music video more abstract and at the end it all becomes clear.

Urban Street Photography Mood Board

These photos are all of urban street photography which I think can inspire us for some shots. I really like the shots of the reflections in the puddles which emphasises the mood of the scene and creates a sense of pathetic fallacy. I also like how you can see the street lights and the sky on the pavement, i think it is gentle and creates a calming mood. I like the wide shots which preview deserted areas which are uncrowded showing loneliness and isolation which is something I would like to explore as our character is lonely as she is dead. Additionally i really think the shot of the legs of a person sitting  is good as it creates mystery. I think it is also a good shot as it can be played with by making different things in focus like the dead person sitting down and the boyfriend in the scene when they are having breakfast. 

Licensing for a Song

To avoid issues in the long run, I had to ask permission to use the song from the record company. After researching and finding out that the song belonged to Universal and emailed them. I got their email from their website. As they are a big conglomerate and are probably inundated with requests i doubt i will get an answer.

Filming

We have dedicated the 4th of October to film our music video so we can start editing on the 6th. We chose these days as Georgia and Jonah are available. This is the schedule of our filming day.

If we need to run over into the next day then we have the 5th October.

Recording Studio

I took it upon myself to email a few recording studio to see if we would be able to record our song there. We have decided on one of the studios to record our song. We felt like we should use a studio because we want the best quality sound possible as the song will make people in our target audience want to continue watching the music video.

Due to an issue we could no longer use this recording studio so we decided to use someone who works for my fathers media company. He will do it for us out of his own time and was nice enough to do it for free so this stays within our budget.

Model Audience Member

VAL's

Films like my Music Video

Music Videos Like Our Own

Bitter Sweet Symphony- The Verve

This music video is similar to what we are trying to make as it is a ghostly, cold feel to it which is done by putting a blue filter over the lens. This could potentially work for when we have to show our main character as a ghost to create a supernatural feel.

I also like the fact that he looks up at the beginning which could represent that our character is looking up as if to show that she is dead and life is over. This relates to our target audience as walking through the streets of London is very common on a daily basis so this idea can be relatable which will attract the target audience. This relates to the chosen genre of our song, pop because London is iconic for pop culture so would be ideal to set our music video in this landmark.

 I liked this shot because it shows that from his point of view he is being ignored. This could link to our music as the ghost of Georgia could be being ignored by people on the streets. This relates to our target audience because this is two young looking girls walking in the street which makes our idea of this camera shot more relatable. The genre is also shown in this because two young girls like this are usually associated with pop. 

I like this shot because once again he is being ignored which relates to our artist as a ghost as she walks past people and they take no notice of her being. This relates to our target audience as it may highlight themes of isolation and loneliness which fits in with our genre because pop not only means fun and exciting elements but also other themes like the ones stated.

Location

By using an urban setting but also using mundane aspects of everyday life such as eating breakfast, we can clearly locate her as the girl next door type pop star similar to early Lily Allen and Ellie Goulding. In addition the urban setting adds an edge makes it more gritty and grimey which keeps in with the genre which is pop and rap. We felt the urban setting will be identifiable by our target audience and is not different enough to other artists to not be unrecognisbale but by the same token as unique enough to demonstrate our singer star image of urban pop.

Props

Performance

The scene is set with Georgia in bed. We are going to do a pan from the bottom to the top of her body as there is a short introduction before the song starts which will represent her as the girl next door in the first few seconds of the video. As the song starts her eyes will open shown by a zoom shot. We will then show the clock with the time displaying 6:20, we will need to take into account the lighting in the room as it is early morning so will be darkish. The time will be shown through a shallow focus shot with Georgia getting up in the background out of focus. We are then going to do a tracking shot of Georgia going down the stairs we may add a bit of speed onto this to create that morning rush effect. As she starts to make breakfast shown by a stop motion where one egg, two pieces of two get added to a plate and 3 weetabix into a bowl. To make this more engaging we may add a slow motion effect on the milk pouring into the cereal. Georgia will then sit down at the kitchen table and look up at the doorway where her boyfriend (Jonah) will be standing in the doorway in his brown dressing gown shown by a wide shot. As Georgia approached Jonah she kisses him on the cheek shown by a medium closeup. Georgia will then go and get ready for work. For this shot we are going to have her doing her makeup to the camera, in post production we are going to edit this together so that it foreshadows her future when she dies by having half her face made up and the other half bruised and bleeding from when the car hit her.

As she walks down the street shown by a wide shot as she approaches the waiting bus. She looks up the stairs when she gets on shown by a point of view shot so the audience feels in her shoes. We will also show an over the shoulder shot when she gets a text from Jonah saying 'have a good day at work, love you'. This then makes her smile which will be shown as she replies a photo of herself to him using her pout which is her signature star quality which is apart of her star image. (shows reply on Jonah's phone and he has multiple girls texting him'. At this point another narrative strand comes in which is Georgia in open greenery space singing the song.

The next shot is Georgia at a desk, for this we will use Lucie's office in her house where she will be fiddling around with the in tray on her desk where she picks up a note that says Rob is getting kicked out. This will be shown by an over the shoulder shot. This will then flip back to Georgia singing the next verse in the park again shown by a medium closeup and side shot. As she is singing we want her to sit down on a bench where she will take a sandwich out her bag at this point we don't want her to stop singing as we want it to be continuous so we are going to have her singing to the camera. This will then fade into a wide view of the park. We then want to make her appear in different places like there is more than 1 of her which not only represents that in Jonah's life there is more than one of her but also that when she dies she will be a ghost so she can be everywhere. We will do this in after effects. We will then use a drone shot to end this verse but at a height that Georgia can be seen. We will have a shot of her laying on the ground as the drone rises flashing showing the future where she is laying unconscious after being hit by the taxi.

Then the scenery will change as she is walking through an urban area in the crowd. We are going to use a mixture of wide shots, medium close ups, tracking shots, zoom in on her feet shots and attach a chest Go Pro to Georgia so we can get a point of view shot. The lighting then changes to a bit darker as the day begins to change in a bad way. As Georgia approaches the bus stop the bus leaves shown by a wide shot and then a zoom in of her face to show her emotion. This will then cut to a time lapse of her in the crowd with everyone walking past her, this will not only match the lyrics 'rush hour' but will also foreshadow time stopping for her when she dies. Georgia will then buy cigarettes and open them shown by a close up, this will then cut to a stop motion of the cigarettes going down showing that over time he has smoked a lot (elliptical editing). Throughout the whole music video whenever possible we want a clock to be shown or for Georgia to look at her watch to show how the day is moving on which symbolises how quick life can be taken away especially when your not expecting it.

Then as Georgia crosses the road we are going to film close ups of her feet which will alternate between that shot, a shot of a red light for pedestrians and a taxi coming towards her. These shots will be short and quick to build the tension up and also to show action as the songs pace picks up. She is now dead and all the narrative strands will now connect as Georgia gets up from where she died and walks away from her body and is looking around shown by a wide shot (maybe fisheye), she will be shocked, her clothes ripped and blood on her head. This will then cut to a montage of memories from the day that she died in black and white to represent her life and how it is no longer ignited. As there is a close up shot of her face on the ground with blue flashing lights she closes her eyes slowly foreshadowing the beginning where she opened them which contrasts a new day to the end of a life.

We also would like the idea of another narrative strand. Throughout the music video we want to show the day in the life of the car. So at the beginning when Georgia open her eyes we want to show the car turning on by showing a close up shot to the key in the ignition. When Georgia is singing in the parks we will cut to shots of the taxi driving round using point of view shots, wide static shots and close ups of the wheels. We also want the taxi to be in the background whenever the road is seen which will be achievable as we know someone that owns a taxi as it will make the line 'i guess i never saw that taxi' ironic as well as showing that she is oblivious as she also couldn't detect her boyfriend was cheating on her.

Another strand we came up with after this was written is the idea that throughout the whole music video Georgia can be a ghost the whole time and is never actually there and at the end of the song she is rejoined with her body to suggest that she realises what went wrong that day as she walks back through her day. 

Feedback From My Animatic

From my animatic I found that there aren't enough shots. This makes the music video less interesting as fails to reach the climatic experience the viewer is expecting. I have put in more shots as this makes it more packed which will attract the target audience. It also creates more a story which viewers can enjoy more.

From the animatic, I haven't considered props and location as it is a still drawing. This may change the shot we choose to get the most effective video with a range of shots that show off our location and props successfully.

Animatic Story Board

  I made a story board using the animation software called video scribe. This put into perspective my thoughts in a hard copy which made it easier to visualise my final idea. I have gone on to create a hand drawn version of my storyboard to make an animatic story board. The definition of an animatic storyboard is when the animatic storyboarding stage may be followed by simplified mock-ups called 'animatics' to give a better idea of how the scene will look and feel with motion and timing. An animatic is a series of still images edited together and displayed in a sequence to music to test whether the sound and image work effectively together creating the basis for the music video. 

Storyboard

The Day I Died Lyrics

Drag myself from my bed
Arounf 20 past 6
Get my kids up, make breakfast
One egg, two toast, three weetabix

And as i sit down and look up
And you're standing in the doorway sun at your back
In my old brown dressing gown
Well, no one can love you more than i love you now
But i gotta go, running for the bus

Coat flying and I try not to miss it this time
But the drivers waiting and that's strange
Kids on the top deck, quiet for a change

And there's no rain and no roadworks
In the bus lane and all my hurts run away
And i'm smiling as I'm punching in

The day i died was the best day of my life
The day i died was the best day of my life
Tell my friends and my kids an my wife
Everything will be alright
The day i died was the best day of my life

The secretaries they got a smile for me
And the in tray on my desks almost empty
I get a memo from executive Joe
Saying Rob the Gob is getting kicked out
For embezzling funds from the company account

And i'd be lying if i said wasn't chuffed
Cos i always hated Rob
And now they'll probably offer me Robs old job

And in the park at lunch
There's no whines on my favourite bench
None of that drunk chatter, none of the pissy stench
And the scrawny little pigeons with the gammy legs
Decide to dive bomb from someone else's sandwich instead

And there's something about the city today
Like all the colours conspire to overwhelm the grey
And this close to the fire i can feel no cold
But a rainbow halo around my soul

The day i died was the best day of my life
The day i died was the best day of my life
Tell my friends and my kids an my wife
Everything will be alright
The day i died was the best day of my life

So i leave work, get to the high street and I miss my bus
Should i wait for another? No i can't be arsed, I begin to walk
And rush hour crowd seems to part like the red sea
And i'm stopping at the offy

Twenty cigarettes and a six pack to relax me
And as i cross back over the street
I guess i never saw that taxi

The day i died was the best day of my life
The day i died was the best day of my life
Tell my friends and my kids an my wife
Everything will be alright
The day i died was the best day of my life

CD Cover Analysis of Glynne and Aguleira

Christina Aguleria- Ain't No Other Man Analysis

The opening shot of the music video shows that it is set in a bad. The old fashioned writing of the sign gives a vintage feel to the place were about to see. This also matches the font of the titles which this is also an intertextual reference as usually films open like this. It looks like it is down an alley way which suggests something mysterious about the bar. This may relate to the personality of Christina Aguilera in the music video. In the background there is non diegetic sound of a muffled radio playing which again gives a vintage feel.

As we see a close up of her feet stepping out which is demanded by the music industry as stated by John Stewart. The white shoe connotes purity. The satin may be mean she is wealthy which is paired which her personalised number plate.

We see Aguilera wearing white which again shows purity but we don't see her face which backs up creating mystery. This shot is a low angle shot looking up which gives her a sense of power.

This is included in a montage whereby the song commences with a trumpet playing. This matches the lyrics (although it is only a beat at this point) which is a convention stated by theorist Andrew Goodwin.  The setting is draped material in orange which is quite old fashioned. Throughout this montage it also cuts to the beat which is said by theorist Andrew Goodwin.

As she starts singing we see an extreme close up of her face. This is done because it shows focus on the main artist. This is also done by the use of lighting focusing on her. The use of a diamond encrusted microphone is to show the aspirations of the artist as suggested by John Stewart. She is wearing red lipstick which not only connotes power but also represents the danger of her mouth and what she is about to say.

As Aguilera flicks her dress to the beat (Andrew Goodwin) and the music video is cut to the beat. She is shown to be in the centre and performing with a band behind her.

The shots are all focusing on Christina, not only because she is in the centre but also because she is the only one wearing white and the light is on her. This is stated by John Stewart who says that this helps star image.

A quick wipe transition is used which then changes the scene to Christina in lingerie in what looks like their dressing room with her friends and in particularly her sister which matches the visuals (Andrew Goodwin).

It is becoming a reoccurring theme that she uses her clothes to move them to the beat. This I think gives her a sense of power as she does it with such aggression.

The next scene is set in what looks like a bedroom. The dark lighting creates a vintage mood again however the light is once again focused on Christina. Additionally, she is wearing red to make her stand out which creates her star image as stated by Richard Dyer.

This shot shows continuation as she is wearing the diamond headphones which was like her microphone shown in the first scene. She is therefore shown to be glamorous which relates to her star image.

Laura Mulvey theory is about male gaze. This shot i think represents male gaze as the camera is looking down on her whilst she is being seductive. The use of extreme close ups also are also needed by the music industry in every video as it creates star image, this is stated by Andrew Goodwin and Richard Dyer.

This montage of shots creates two different moods. The blue one creates a cold mood whereas the gold one creates a warm mood. This could be referring to the two different personalities of this man that she is singing about. The moods are created by the different lighting and outfits. The use of close ups is needed in music videos stated by Stewart.

Again Aguilera is centre which adds to her star image. She is again the only one in white and with blonde hair which makes her stand out.

 The extreme close up and aspirational life style suggests are theories stated by John Stewart.

This is a set routine which brings in a dance element to the music video. This is a variety of shots ranging from wide to close up which is a convention of a music video stated by Andrew Goodwin. This makes the artist have star image.

The ending shot is her hitting a long note in a silver dress. This adds to her star image as it is glamorous and works harmoniously with the people in the bar as she stands out. This then fades to black.

It then ends foreshadowing the song played at the beginning. She is wearing there same silver glamorous outfit as the shot before but laying on a piano. The lighting is darker with it focused on her (John Stewart) which creates a softer mood paired with the muffled music, this then fades to black.