First Draft of Video

http://youtu.be/EcxIUk-fVCE

Visual Story Board

Fiery Wave

"He's got these Brown Eyes..."

"shes got these blue eyes"

"I can't even find" - I interpret this as the artist being lost

Filming Diary- Why I Chose to Film Certain Things

18/11/14 - I filmed with the artist only in this filming session, we used two locations: a lake and an abandoned farm.
I used a 18-55 mm lens for the majority of the shots with an additional 55-200mm lens for long shots and shots where I needed a pronounced depth of field. The problem I had with the bigger lens was that the camera shook if I didn't use a tripod so if i wanted to film something from far away, such as the burning roses, I had to put the camera on the tripod and use a still shot. However, the smaller lens was more useful for shots where I could move the camera closer to the subject rather then zooming, because of the advantage of being able to use the camera hand held with reduced shake.

A problem we had was that the artists costume didn't keep her warm as it was 5 degrees Celsius. This meant we had to stop regularly for the artist to put her jacket on. This was also a problem because her costume didn't have any shoes.

Another problem we had, in shot of the flowers on fire, was that the flowers wouldn't set alight because they were damp. this meant that a match couldn't be directly dropped onto the flame and we couldn't effectively capture the ignition of the flame on camera.

Thirdly, there wasn't enough light in one of the buildings to successfully record a scene without the use of external lights. this is where I came up with the idea of lighting a match right next to the artists face for her to blow it out, this connoted her feeling non existent to the man the song is about. This provided a good effect because the shot goes from very dark lighting to immediately lighting up her whole face which looks very effective and provided an intended mood for the shot.

the scene where the artist was rowing down the lake on the boat, there was a problem with the level of water in the lake. this meant that it was difficult for her to get into the boat from a platform because the boat was so low. a safety precaution was taken by the use of a life jacket for when she got into the boat (she took it off whilst filming). Another issue was that there were strong winds blowing the boat which could've resulted in an injury if the boat would have been blown into a overhanging tree, for example. We prevented this by giving the artist a long ore so that if the boat drifted she could hold the ore out so that she didn't hit the object she was drifting towards.

Because of the fact we were filming in winter, it started to get dark around 4pm. This meant that we had to stop filming because of the lack of natural light. however, the last scene we filmed, where the artist is running through the field, the lighting was very dark. However in post production i edited the clip so that the dark, grainy shades appeared darker and the white dress she was wearing stood out. this gave a pleasing effect of disorientation which I thought had good connotations.


26/02/15
I filmed with the artist as well as her boyfriend on this day. Her boyfriend played the part of the artist's lover in the video, whom of which the song was about. We filmed shots of my artist walking into the sea as shown in the screen shot below. This was used to connote death and how insignificant mankind are in relation to something as vast as the ocean.

The artist's boyfriend was going to have a brief appearance in the video towards the endwhich would've consisted of a point of view shot of him looking at the artist. However, whilst my artist was in the sea and we were filming this shot, the water got too cold for her and she ran out of the ocean whilst we were still filming, screaming and laughing because of the cold. She ran over to her boyfriend who was holding her towel and he wrapped a towel round her and hugged her, which I caught on film.

This was unplanned, however I thought the nature of the shot I captured was very powerful and expressed the vulnerability of the artist, which I wanted to show. I kept continuity with use of black and white which meant that the artist's facial expressions were blurred. In my opinion, the use of darkened black and white creates audience interpretation to how she is feeling. I also used a "dream effect" which makes the image brighter and more distorted. This was used to express the fact that I wanted the shot of her running out the water and hugging her boyfriend to look like a dream, as this is what she wants to be her reality, however the reality is that she walks into sea and commits suicide, as shown in the last shot of the video which fades out to black.

Survey

www.surveymonkey.com/s/B7GNW3C

Weather for my video

For my video, I wanted the lighting to be strong so that I wouldn't have to use external light sources. I will use effects in post production to bring the brightness of the video down as well as reduce the colour to bring out the dark, sinister mood. This will mean that the clips won't be grainy because they've been recorded with good lighting. Another reason I'd like strong light from the sun is so I can film establishing shots, as I'm hoping to use a lot of establishing shots in my video, and they'll be easily visible and clear. A risk of filming with bright light is that it may not be editable to make it look dark and mysterious as I'd want it to look.

26/11/14 Post filming- the weather on this day was bright, however slightly foggy in some areas. this made the establishing shot I took of an old barn house very mysterious which I liked. however some of the light from the sun was blocked meaning that it was slightly darker than expected. However this didn't effect the quality of the video too much.

What Makes a Good Product

For the abstract genre of my video, I think key elements which make the video significant to the music are the use of connotations within the imagery and editing which cuts on the beat of the song. A range of different shots is beneficial in my opinion, including long shots to extreme close ups. This is so the connotations intended to be shown, such as, in my video, the close up of the artists lips connoting sexual connotations, are flaunted and emphasized. In summary, what ever the focus of the shot is, emphasize it by the use of cinematography. The reason I'll be using abstract shots, such as the edited shot of the pile of leaves spontaneously combusting, is because the feel of song is dark and melancholic and I believe this matches conventions of the genre.

I think a good abstract video will still have a subliminal narrative through the use of morals and themes. In my video I'd like the subliminal narrative to express the artist's confusion and fluctuation towards her dark relationship with a man. this will be connoted by the use of fire, both being ignited and extinguished: Such as the shot where she blows out the match and the shot of the burning leaves. The fire it's self is represented as the relationship and when the fire goes out it represents darkness in the relationship. I think it's important not to clearly explain what the darkness is in terms of a literal meaning, for example it could symbolize abuse, betrayal, uncertainty; however, I think it's good to leave the audience to interpret what they think the metaphor of the flame is.

A very important aspect, in my opinion, is for the artist to be connected emotionally with the audience. This is why, in certain shots, I decided the artist should look directly into the camera. This makes the audience feel as if they're experiencing the emotions of the video themselves rather than being a fly on the wall. I wanted to showing numbness, in terms of emotions, within the video, as I believe most audience members can relate to this through going through emotionally draining, or traumatic experiences. I expressed this through the use of the affect "Keyer", which shows dark shades within the video as even darker. I used this effect to make the artists eyes look darker and to merge the colour of her pupils into the colour of her iris. This added a slightly disturbing atmosphere to the video and expressed the numbness I wanted to portray in a visual way.

Risk Assessment

Equiptment Used to Shoot My Video

The tripod I used was very cheap, this meant that panning using the movable top made the image blurry. instead of using this I panned manually by picking the tripod up. this made the image smooth whilst keeping the camera stable. 

Canon 600D
My video was edited to be in slow motion, up to 100% slower. So the settings I used in terms of frames rates were 50 frames per second. This means the camera samples still images at a much faster rate to create a more smooth flowing video, so when the image is slowed down, it doesn't jump from frame to frame. generally, the conventional camera settings used in a filming situation, whether it be a music video or a film, are 24 frames per second (typical Hollywood film settings) or 25 frames per second (typically used in Europe). The reason these frame rates are used so much is because the human eye sees things at these frame rates. if the frame rates were as high as 500 fps and shot in normal time, the video would look slightly strange as the human eye isn't used to seeing that many frames in real life.



18-55 mm lens
I used this lens for the majority of the shooting because of the stabilization of the video because of the low zoom. this meant that the shots were steady, even when the camera was hand held. also, its easy to keep in focus because of the shallowness of the lens, however the depth of field isn't as pronounced. A disadvantage to this is that you have to hold the camera very close to the thing you're filming.




55-200 mm lens
I used this lens for shots such as filming the burning pile of leaves. this is because of the depth of field it creates as well as being able to film it from far away, which helped prevent the camera from getting burnt. A disadvantage of this lens is that it goes out of focus easily when the camera is moved. Also, its sensitive to movement so filming can look shaken when the camera is handheld; however when using a tripod this is greatly reduced.

The main reasons I used a tripod was for still shots and shots where I needed to use the zoom on the 55-200mm lens. I used the tripod for the larger lens because it's more prone to camera shake and going out of focus when the subject moves. Foe example, when I filmed my artist in the rowing boat on the lake I used this lens and panned the camera using the tripod.

Video Style/Genre

I have chosen an abstract style for my video as I think this best suits the mood of the song. Also, listening to the song, I noticed a vague effort in the pronunciation of the lyrics by the artist, meaning that the story may not have been reflected. However, I still think the mood and feeling from the song will represent connotations of what the song is about. For example, the connotation of fire being a destructive physiological burden for the artist.
The use of imagery in my video is used to create a disturbing image of what the artist is expressing through the song, and alternatively, what she is physically seeing. An alternative motive for the imagery is to engage the audience to think freely and interpret the hidden meanings for themselves. for example the use of fire throughout, combined with the use of darkened eyes, derelict buildings etc.

I gave gained inspiration from a number of videos, including Euan Baker's video from 2012



I have chosen to take certain aspects from this video including the use of psychedelic shots, such as the circular, fish eye style images. I like the use of the branches in the background overhanging the lake representing an eerie mood. I have reproduced this in a darker, more sinister representation in one of my shots.

Costume Mood Board

I wanted to represent the artist in a haunting, naive yet slightly classy way, because of the lyrics of the song are expressing a confusion towards her love for a man who doesn't feel the same way, with a dark twist that isn't explained. I thought the costume would be appropriate as I wanted the video to have a "lack of reality" feel. I think if the artist was dressed in 21st century clothing, the video would be less "dream like" for the audience. I also wanted to portray a feeling of confusion, so that the audience can't pinpoint certain things, such as what year the video is set in, where, exactly, the character is.

Also, I want to have the artist in barefoot, even though most of the video will be shot outside. this will link with the use of location (eye-saw locations, that aren't pleasant to look at), and will juxtapose with the quality of the dress she is wearing. The connotations behind these choices are:

• I want the locations to represent her mind- confused, lost, messy
• I want the dress to represent how she portrays herself- Beautiful, naive and pure.
• And I want the lack of shoes to represent the fact she feels lost and has nowhere to go. Also that she's vulnerable and "treading on thin ice".

Narrative analyse

Uses and Gratifications, linking to Laura Mulvey's "Male Gaze"

this video doesn't apply to Laura Mulvey's male gaze theory as the representation of women in this video isn't sexualised. This shows that even though the target audience is prehaps not exclusively males, that males still may decide to consume this media, regardless. Furthermore, men may idolise the singer/songwriter and simply want to listen to his music, with a representation of the song through the narrative. As the song is about the singer being on tour for months on end, not seeing his family. He is documenting all the great places he has been and how he'd rather be at home with his family. Working men and Woman who spend a lot of time away from home may empathise with the singer, as well as couples who have been separated for a length of time.
In my opinion, the main purpose of this video is for people to empathise with the singer, rather than sending out hidden messages. However there are connotations within the narrative, such as the fact the singer is visualising his wife as he is in a hotel room, shows his loneliness and discontent. Also, the use of close up as he is writing on a notepad, suggesting that he is writing the song in the video as he's alone. There are also flashbacks as he visualises his wife such as the medium shot of her pushing open the curtains and walking through them.

Kate Domaille's theory

According Kate's theory, the video has taken the structure to represent "Orpheus" which is the loss of something personal. This is confirmed in the line where the artist sings "I never thought you could leave me, I figured I was the one". Arguably, the video also has features of Achillies which is "the destruction of the previously flawless" in explanation to this, in theory, before the singer went on tour everything was ok, however, after he goes away there is a "fatal flaw" that leads to destruction.
Also, the obvious feature of her theory is "Romeo and Juliet" which means "a love story"

Rick Altman's theory

Rick Altman would say that the video gives audiences "emotional Pleasure" by triggering an emotional response, possibly linking to the empathy of the audience member, relating the a past experience that the audience member has had.

Practice Shots

LIIAR Analysis of 3 Videos

Laura Mulvey's Theory- Go Animate

Laura Mulvey's Male Gaze Theory by jackconman97 on GoAnimate

History of Music Videos

Timings of Lyrics

Lyrics to bree tranter- fiery wave

Intro- 0 to 19

19 to 29 hes got these brown eyes that change colour in the sun.

35 to 43 but somedays I cant even find which colour I’m looking at

48.5 to 1 min 23 to deep down, wavey here, wavey like paper, he, stays the same, stays the same. Oh we just have different minds.

1 minute 38.5 to 1 minute 48  Shes got these blue eyes that go deeper than the sea

1 minute 54 to 1 minute 2 minutes 3 But some days he wont even try to swim down and save me.

2 minutes 7.5 to 2 minutes 36 Deep down, fiery here, fiery like paper he, stays the same, stays the same.
 2 minutes 39 seconds to 2 minutes 42 seconds Oh we just have different minds

Ah, ah. Ah, ah

3 minutes 7 seconds to 3 minutes 16 seconds Im a wave im a flame, and I felt you like a crash 

and oh, oh oh oh oh oh, oh oh.

Oh oh etc 

Representation of Main Characters in the Narrative

The two main characters I am thinking of using are a man and a woman in a complicated relationship. However, I don't want to represent the characters in a fully conventional manor, however these are some conventions I DO want to meet, particularly in regards to image.


Conventional aspects of the man

• Muscular
• Attractive
• Dominant 

Such as...


Conventional aspects of the woman

• Attractive
• Naive
• small 
• Made up (in a modest, old fashioned way) 

Such as...






These are features which I DON'T want to be conventional


Unconventional aspects of the man 

• Sensitive
• Mysterious 
• Disinterested

Unconventional aspects of the woman

• Un-sexualised (however still appealing to male audiences- not directly provocative)
• Wearing an old fashioned dress
• 
  

Mise en Scene

Locations that I would like to use are;
 abandoned farms
 beaches
 lakes

Beaches and Lakes- I don't want to use these locations conventially, I'd like to portray the locations as a slightly dark and isolating places. For the sea, an idea I had, was to use a Go Pro camera (a water resistant camera) to capture the artist sinking from a high angle in her dress (like the scene from pirates of the Caribbean 1 where Elizabeth swan is sinking in the sea after she falls off the cliff).


This is an extract of the film where there are multiple shots of Elizabeth sinking.





I used Google Maps to find Abandoned, industrial areas- these are what I found

Shot Ideas Regarding Lyrics

The main denotations of the song are fire and the sea/water. so, an idea for the opening shot would be for an attractive, young woman dressed in an old style dress with laces (as the artist), to drop a match onto a bunch of fire logs in slow motion, and for it to ignite. (with a flammable liquid over the logs to achieve this). the reason I'd chose to put it in slow motion is so it matches the rhythm of the song.
I'd also use fire throughout the video as a denotation of the lyrics. such as this:







Lip Syncing:
To achieve a slow motion effect whilst lip syncing I would speed up the track to double it's speed whilst the artist is lip syncing so that i can slow it down to half it's speed during editing. this will give the effect that the artist is singing in slow motion whilst still singing at the correct pace of the track.

This is a music video example of slow motion lip syncing

Lyric Analysis of Fiery Wave by Bree Tranter

Lyrics to bree tranter- fiery wave

“hes got these brown eyes that change colour in the sun.

but somedays I can’t even find which colour I’m looking at”

from my interpretation, this line, she is singing about a man who she can't understand, who is mysterious, as if he has a split personality. This builds tension and uncertainty for the listener.
For this reason, an idea that I had was to have a male featuring in the video, and to not show his complete face in any given shot, or to hide the facial features by the use of dim lighting. my aim would be to represent the man as mysterious, or without a real identity, as if he is almost a figure of the artist's imagination.
such as these images:

“deep down, wavey here, wavey like paper, he, stays the same, stays the same. Oh we just have different minds.”

This line is slightly more abstract and strange, however, I interpret this as the man being unstable and/or with a shallow personality. Slightly narcissistic and unsocial.

Also, that she can't relate with him or that he doesn’t express emotions.

“Shes got these blue eyes that go deeper than the sea

But some days he wont even try to swim down and save me.”

Again, showing the narcissistic personality of the man. Denotations of blue eyes and the sea. Singing in second person, as if not singing about her personal relationship, however , being a fly on the wall in someone else's. This may confuse the reader regarding to the lyrics alone, so in the music video I will make it clear that she is singing about herself by her being involved in the narrative (possibly by having some form of contact with the man in the video, such as eye contact or bodily contact)
Also, I plan to use the imagery of the ocean to create a denotation of what's happening. Such as the woman sinking in the ocean. I plan to film this with a water resistant GoPro camera.

“Deep down, fiery here, fiery like paper he, stays the same, stays the same. Oh we just have different minds”

denotations of the sea with “deep”.

Juxtaposition between the sea and fire. This connote and links with the lyrics “oh we just have different minds”
The use of the word "paper" may further  suggest that the man is vacant minded or shallow. 

Ah, ah. Ah, ah

I’m a wave I’m a flame, and I felt you like a crash and oh, oh oh oh oh oh, oh oh.

Oh oh etc 

evaluation questions

How successful was your product?

what did you learn from carrying out this process?

What would you do differently?

what skills do you feel you now have after carrying out this project?

Lyric Analysis of Breezeblocks by Alt-J

Lyric Analysis of Breezeblocks by Alt J

/ = cut

“She may contain the urge to run away but hold her down with soggy clothes and breezeblocks” This line last 5 seconds

(This line coincides with the first shot of the video where the woman is laid in a bath filled with water with a breezeblock on top of her. (To recreate this safely, we will film the shot similarly to the original however we will have someone holding the heavy object outside of the camera shot so that the actress doesn’t get injured.)

To create the dark image that the lyrics portray we are going to use low exposure on a camera. Also we are going to reduce the colour contrast post recording to create disorientation and confusion

There’s a 1 second pause, then there is a cut to the next scene with the guy with his head in his hands- with the lyric “Cetirizine, your fever’s gripped me again, never kisses, all you ever send are full stops” from 06-11 seconds

Then there is a cut to a close up of the guy’s wedding ring during the “la la la la” bit at 0.12 seconds

There is then a cut to a tap running in reverse “do you know where wild things go? They go/ along and take your honey/” with shots inbetween of the woman in the bath and shots of the tap.

Next there is a “La la la la” bit where there is a short, second long shot of the woman in the bath with the water sloshing around with a shot reverse shot from the tap to the woman.

Then there is another shot of the man with his head in his hands at a medium close up when the lyrics are ”break down and weep, build up breakfast now let’s eat, my love, my love/( cut to close up of man with head in hands), love/(cut to close up of woman’s hand), love”/ ( cut to shot of her in the bath with water swirling around)- these scenes coincide with the rhythm of the song- every beat is a new shot in this part

The next line is “muscle to muscle and/ toe to toe, /the fear has gripped me but here I go.” –the shot starts with the man just after he throws a breezeblock at her. It then cuts to another shot of the woman in the bath with the water swirling around, then back to the man just before he throws the block at her. There’s then another shot of the water running in reverse whilst the lyrics are “my heart sinks as I/ jump up” with a cut to the man chasing her into the bathroom at “jump up” also theres a shot of the man chasing the woman for 9 seconds whilst the lyrics are “Your hand grips hand as my eyes shut and ohhhh ohhhh oh.” Theres a second set of “ohs” straight after which cut to the kitchen where he first starts chasing her with a breezeblock.

Evaluation

storyboard- Kieran
mise en scene -Ruby
lyric analysis -jack conman
props and location -josie

Location and Props

Shot List and Story Board

production plan

Suggestions for video

My Group

Ruby Moore
Kieran White
Josie Mumby

A2 Media Studies Brief

1) A promotion package for the release of an album. to include a music promo video, together with two of the following three options

A website homepage for the band

a cover for its release as part of a digipack (CD/DVD)

a magazine advertisement for digipack (CD/DVD)

2) A promotion package for a new film, to include a teaser trailer, together with two of the following three options:

a website homepage for the film

a film magazine front cover

a poster for film