Theories

Theories

The Reception Theory - This theory was developed by Stuart Hall, who suggests that media is encoded and audiences have to decode it, and implies that media audiences are not passive but active – they decode through either a dominant reading, negotiated reading or an oppositional reading.

Ideally, we want our music video to have a dominant reading as this will mean the audience have received the music video the way we as the creators, intended them to.

The Hypodermic Needle Theory - This theory suggests that the mass media influences audiences, however the theory's biggest criticism is that it suggests that audiences are mostly passive. When true this can lead to 'mean world syndrome', which is a distortion of views that can come with being a passive and heavy media watcher; for example, due to violent films such as 'My Brother The Devil'. The hypodermic needle theory has been studied for years and shown to have an effect on some people, for example during World War Two Hitler used campaign posters that were negative towards the Jews, in turn making many believe that the Jews were not loyal subjects of Germany. Media is powerful. However, in modern advertising, making something stereotypically "cool" through association with a celebrity or exciting sport is more common and a successful marketing tool.

This will relate to our music video as many will immediately associate the songs and visuals with a romance due to the stereotypically romantic tropes use,  such as shots of the couple holding hands as children. The hypodermic needle theory may make audience members, who do not already know the storyline of the music video, guess that it is a romance due to their personal intake of media where they have probably been exposed to romances being associated with acoustic music and natural settings. A classic romantic song with an acoustic vibe would be 'Moon River' - famously sung by Audrey Hepburn in 'Breakfast at Tiffany's'.

The Cultivation Theory - George Gerbner's 'theory suggests that this cultivation of attitudes [for example; societal negativity towards youths, who are often seen as violent] is based on attitudes already present in our society and that the media take those attitudes which are already present and re-present them bundled in a different packaging to their audiences.' 

Our music video will hopefully defy the stereotype of youths being violent or lazy.

Youth as an 'empty category' - theory by Henry A. Giroux - 

'Representing Youth as a Problem

Representations of youth in popular culture have a long and complex history and habitually serve as signposts through which American society registers its own crisis of meaning, vision, and community. Youth as a complex, shifting, and contradictory category is rarely narrated in the dominant public sphere through the diverse voices of the young. Prohibited from speaking as moral and political agents, youth become an empty category inhabited by the desires, fantasies, and interests of the adult world. This is not to suggest that youth don't speak, they are simply restricted from speaking in those spheres where public conversation shapes social policy and refused the power to make knowledge consequential with respect to their own individual and collective needs.'

Again, our music video will hopefully defy the stereotype of youths being violent or lazy, and present them as their own independent category of people; yes they seem adult due to the romance but they will also seem childish due to the clips of them when they were a few years younger.

Charles Reid Acland -  This theory suggests that being young is a time where people learn about social roles/values and that the state needs to confirm and consolidate these values better. This links to the 'Ideology of protection' and the implication that youths need to be constantly watched and monitored. 'Acland argues that media representations of delinquent youths actually reinforce hegemony.'

Once more, our music video will hopefully defy the stereotype of youths being violent or lazy, and show them as rounded human beings, even role models, rather than delinquents.

Uses and Gratifications - This theory assumes that audiences choose the media they want to watch for different reasons.

People who will most likely choose to watch our music video will be those who like Gabrielle Aplin's music, and the acoustic genre of song, as well as those who like narrative music videos, poetic lyrical pieces with complimenting visuals, and romantic narratives.

Semiotics - This theory, developed by Roland Barthes, helps an audience interpret narratives.

Below are some pictures to explain this theory further: -

This will relate to our music video, as it relates to all media. It will link directly with our music video, for example through the sunflower which symbolises the couple's love and will be on the DVD cover and magazine article. The flower will be the signifier and the signified is the natural and renewed love that the couple share - near the beginning of the video the flower will have been associated with the couple being together, as the young boy actor will give the young girl actress a/the sunflower in one of the earlier scenes, and so when the flower is seen later in the video - growing next to the girl when she is older, the semiotics of this will implicate that the couple will reunite again.

The links I used for this research include: http://www.slideshare.net/reigatemedia/stuart-hall-audience-positioning, https://www.henryagiroux.com/online_articles/teenage_sexuality.htm, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJd1rkDoURA, https://www.slideshare.net/jphibbert1979/media-and-collective-identity-theory-revision, https://www.slideshare.net/Holly541/roland-barthes-12665769, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vn9_0mTfT3Y.

Initial Music Video Storyboard Ideas

Initial Music Video Storyboard Ideas


Below are images for our storyboard that I sketched - the highlighted sections are shots that we definitely want to include.

Page 1 of the initial storyboard

 The beginning shots are for the introduction - they are setting shots of the sun through some trees, and then of a low angle, close-up silhouette shot of the hands and forearms of Fin and Lottie (the couple when they are young) holding hands with the sun visible/behind in the framing. We then plan to have more setting shots, including shots of the river, a small flowing fountain (which we will film dried-up later when the couple separate), and some images of birds flying. We will then take shots of Fin and Lottie playing; for example, building dens in the woods, cloud watching, playing pooh sticks, and then a wide shot of them sitting on the bridge which cuts to a tighter shot of them sitting on the bridge. We will also take a shot of Fin picking a flower, and then a follow-up shot of him handing Lottie the flower. Then they will sit on a tree branch together, facing away from the camera, which will fade into a picture of the tree branch with neither of them sitting on it: this will show the passing of time. There will also be big close-up shots of both Fin and Lottie's feet walking from a bird's eye view point, these will then dissolve into shots of Teo and Jess' feet walking, framed in the same way to show that the feet belong to the same person, they have just grown up.

Page 2 of the initial storyboard

We plan to take close-up shots of all of our actors faces with them in the centre staring straight into the camera - we plan to overlap Lottie and Jess' to show the passing of time, and then do the same with Fin and Teo to show that the characters have become teenagers. There will also be shots of Jess in the field from all directions and angles, we then film her cloud watching alone and then turning to her left as though she is about to say something to Teo (like her character used to when she was little) but he is not there because they don't talk much any more. Then we would see a shot of Jess' face looking to the side in the grass and we would film her seeing the flower, the same type of flower that the little Teo (Fin) gave to her when they were younger. She will then pick the flower. Proceeding this we will film her sitting up with the flower - there will then be a shot behind her and she will see someone walking to the bridge and it will be Teo. They will see each other from separate sides of the river. We will then film Jess standing and both of them walking - gazes locked - towards the bridge and towards each other. There will then be a slow motion shot of Jess dropping the flower, followed by a shot where the flower is on the floor in focus whereas Jess and Teo are embracing in the background, out of focus. We will also film them embracing half way across the bridge from all different angles - including their shadow embracing from the reflection on the water. There will then be a close-up low angle shot of their foreheads touching, and the sun setting behind them - this will be the ending shot.

So that Teo has the same amount of screen time as Jess and to balance the narrative viewpoint - we also plan to film Teo sitting on a log on the other side of the bridge to where Jess is cloud watching alone - these shots will be cutaways from each character to the other. Teo will stand and walk towards the bridge remembering the times he used to have with Jess when they were younger.

We also plan on including a time lapse between the scenes with the younger versions of the couple to again show the passing of time and a different filming skill. In addition, we were thinking of having more shots of Teo and Jess perhaps in another location looking forlorn - perhaps hinting at how the relationship fell apart before putting them in the beginning location and having them ending up together. These shots will be filmed in cold and dim Autumn/Winter days to contrasts with the happier shots that will be filmed in warm, sunny Summer days.

The chosen song for our music video

The chosen song for our music video

The song we have chosen to use for our music video is 'Home' by Gabrielle Aplin. I originally found this piece when listening to another one of her songs, 'Salvation' as I was thinking of using this for the project. However, the acoustic style of the 'Home', and the lyrics used made us decide to work with this song as it mentions water and nature; this was important to us because we want the music video to be cyclical - the couple are friends playing at the river as children and then end up together on the bridge over the same river (metaphorical for overcoming their differences) and the couple embrace because they realise that they are in love with each other. The nature-related lyrics also link to their natural and destined relationship, and the natural setting of the video; the idea of their love being fate is emphasised through the repetition of the word 'Home' as the couple feel like they belong together.

The song also has a seven second introduction that we would like to use to set the scene by showing shots of the sun rising in the sky, the glistening river, and grass swaying in the breeze before a close-up, low angle shot of the younger versions of the couple holding hands. (The shot will show only their hands and the sun behind it - they will be partially silhouetted).

In addition, Gabrielle Aplin has an airy and harmonious voice that blends well with the instruments such as the guitar and piano in the song. This is effective because during the middle eight of the song and the final chorus the music crescendos and the singing becomes more emotional and urgent and this will be where the lovers see each other when they are older and begin to run and stumble towards each other, they will then embrace on the bridge just before the music diminuendos again.

This is the official lyric video for the song, Yasmin and I have been inspired by the vibe that it creates, it shows family-related images, natural settings and gives a sense that nature holds the simplest treasures, and that is heart-warming: -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPNgq4ZRxKg

Production Schedule

Production Schedule

This was created in Microsoft Excel - the screenshots show the document being opened in my emails. There is then an updated version of the schedule below the initial schedule images.

Cast and Characters

Cast and Characters

Lottie Warner Buttery - the young version of the girl in the film
Finlay Stone - the young version of the boy in the film
Jess Warner Buttery - the older version of the girl in the film
Teo Arichescu  - the older version of the boy in the film

We chose Fin and Lottie to be the children in the film as they look similar to the people who we have chosen to be the older versions of their characters; therefore it will be simple for the audience to understand that Fin and Lottie play the same characters as Jess and Teo, just at a younger stage in the characters' lives. The scenes with Fin and Lottie will be shown as memories - they will flash white before and after they have started to show that they are the past and are being thought about by Jess and Teo now; the thought of their childhood memories is what brings them back to the place they were happiest together, and this is how they find each other again both physically, emotionally, and metaphorically.

For the filming we want Fin to wear colourful shorts (dark blue) and a t-shirt (green with writing/images on it) to represent a vibrant and happy childhood, and for Lottie we want her to wear a light-coloured dress, this way it will flow nicely in a breeze (which is good for slow motion shots to show nostalgia) and because small, flowing, light dresses tend to symbolise the innocence of young girls. In contrast, we want Teo to wear less colourful trousers to symbolises that he is no longer a child, and that being away from Jess' character has drained him of some of his colour (which represents happiness). However, Teo will also wear a striped, colourful t-shirt to show that he is still the same person that he used to be, at heart. Jess will also wear a dress - a white dress - for older girls this symbolises innocence again but also purity - the white also suggest peace; Jess's dress will be more fitted than Lottie's and will not flow as much and so it will show that she has matured however the fact that she is wearing one symbolises how she is also the same person she has always been, at heart.

Fin will pick a flower and give it to Lottie, this will be the same flower that we then see drift away down the river - in a dimmed and somber shot - (after the cross fades and time lapse showing that as the couple grew older they grew apart). Then we see Jess (Lottie's character grown-up) for the second time - she is cloud watching, she turns to her right to talk to Teo's character like she used to when they were young but he is not here as they do not see much of each other anymore, however the flower is growing there. When she sits up holding the flower she looks across the river and sees Teo's character opposite her - alone on a walk - they lock gazes and walk purposefully towards each other. Jess' character drops the flower before speeding up to embrace Teo's character on the bridge; the flower is no longer needed to remind them of each other, they are together. The flower symbolises the relationship of the couple in the film.The flower, along with some branches that Fin and Lottie's characters will use to make a den in the woods with and some sticks that they will use to play pooh sticks with, are the only props we use.

Music Video Research - Location, Props and Supplies

Music Video Research - Location, Props and Supplies

This is Taylor Swift's music video for 'Out of the Woods'.

This is how Taylor's Swift's music video for 'Out of the Woods' was filmed.

The location for this music video was New Zealand; they used different locations within New Zealand, for example a beach, some woods, and a field - sets for certain shots were also created by a set team. I understand this is a high-budget film but it has some good principals on how to make music videos, for example you need to choose your location and props wisely, as they are visual indicators about the story and so are just as important as the story itself. Having supplies for the actors and crew with you on long filming dates is also important, e.g. blankets, coats (Jess will wear a dress in our music video and may get cold so we need to bring a coat or blanket), snacks and water.

This music video has also taught me that you do not need to be somewhere very large, quiet or real to get good shots - for example the set built for Taylor's frozen wood scene was exquisite but it was fairly small but did not look fake. I understand that we cannot build an expensive set for our film, we don't need to, however it is good to know that good quality shots can be taken in small spaces and then edited with large shots in other locations and still look continuous. We will be using lots of close-ups in our piece, and some of the shots may be filmed on different days and so if we keep the frames tighter we can focus on the character's story better and keep the locations looking continuous. in addition, it doesn't matter if we give directions whilst shooting either as we plan on muting the shots - except for one of the younger versions of the characters laughing which we might keep on a low volume.

Music Video Research

Music Video Research

I wanted to know more about lighting, superimposition and colour - these videos really helped: -

The first video is a music video, the second is a piece on how the music video was made.

The stages for creating a music video are: -

• Once you have chosen a song, write down and sketch the images that first come into your head when listening to it.
• Then, make a story (or timeline) including your initial images.
• After this, decide what sort of vibe you want your music video to have; you should already have an idea about this as your images should reflect this, for example, me and Yasmin want our music video to be heart-warming and romantic. Think about and list ideas for camera work, mise-en-scene aspects, sound, and editing techniques that will help to enhance this vibe. For example, Yasmin and I plan on having some slow, flowing pan shots of the river and natural setting to evoke a sense of peace and to reflect the flow of the water; we want the natural setting to signify a happy place for the lovers and indicate that their love is natural, unstoppable and fated. We would like to add some darker more greyscale treatments when the couple are apart, and have them gradually get lighter as the couple get closer to reuniting so that when they reunite the shots will be natural or enhanced with colour to show that the couple are happy and meant to be together. For the sound, we plan on having the song run all the way through the music video, and we are thinking about overlaying the laughter of the younger versions of the couple for a shot where they are playing by the river. This will be not very loud and perhaps in slow motion, and will give a sense of nostalgia and happiness.
• The next step is to storyboard your video and then finalise this, and think about how long each take would be in relation to the song - this means roughly working out how long each section of the song is and fitting the shots in adequately.
• Then decide on your filming locations and make sure that your are allowed to use them; then ensure that when you film you frame your shots well and that they also reflect the vibe of the music video. For example, me and Yasmin use many wide shots to represent the couple's loneliness in separation but we also use close-ups to portray the deep feelings of the two characters involved.
• The next stage would be deciding on cast, costumes and props. For the cast we wanted a young boy and a young girl who would look similar to the older boy and the older girl in the film, as they would be the same characters just grown-up. This is why we chose Lottie and Jess, as Jess is Lottie's older sister and they look similar, and Fin and Teo because they have the same coloured hair, eyes and similar skin tones.
• When you set up to film check the weather; me and Yasmin only filmed the shots of the couple together on sunny days to emphasise their love. This meant that we only used natural lighting, we want the piece to be naturalistic through the setting and emotions displayed but also slightly stylistic through the choice of props - the sunflower that we use symbolises the couple's love and friendship. When they are together the flower is there - right up until the end when Jess' character realises that she doesn't need the flower to remind her of her love for Teo's character: she only needs Teo's character.
• Decide which shots would be better to film first, for example if you want to do wider shots perform them when there are no other people around (unless you want other people around).
• Once you have filmed, copy, save and back-up your footage before doing anything else! 
• When editing, put the shots (trimmed to the length you want them) in order on the timeline of the song, and then begin to trim them again and edit them together to build up the story - whether the video is narrative, performance or concept based. Think about the shot transitions as well as the lengths - for example in our music video Yasmin and I have included some cross fades; the two main ones show a shot of Fin (playing the young boy) looking at the camera (breaking the fourth wall) fading into an image of Teo doing the same, and then we have this again but with Lottie fading into Jess - this shows the passing of time without taking up to much of the timeline, and it introduces the audience to the older characters.
• One you have finished editing watch the whole video and adapt anything that could make the piece better; for example, we have to be sure that our video is continuous as we are telling a story. This means that our match-on-action shots, and lighting/treatments, have to be precise.
• Lastly, if there are any copyright issues that you have to address make sure that you address them at the beginning of the production process and keep to them in order to make your video professional and legal. For example, at the end of the music video have a black screen with some small white righting across the bottom stating the copyright details; this is okay to do as it is done in professional music videos.

Types of Music Videos

Types of Music Videos

Narrative videos - A video that tells a story, mainly consisting of shots that relate to the lyrics and genre of the song and flow well with the song's rhythm. These types of videos are often used for singles that are connected to a feature film - these usually include scenes from the film that have been cut into the video. Popular ways of doing this is having the music video cut straight to short clips of the films, or having a clip of the film shown in the background/foreground of the shot on a TV or camera screen, perhaps reflecting a moment in the actual music video.

Examples of these types of film related music videos are 'Still Falling For You' by Ellie Goulding, this includes clips form 'Bridget Jones' Baby', and 'Almost is Never Enough' by Ariana Grande featuring Nathan Sykes, which is a single from 'The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones': -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvP_OwVSFpk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b87dBaL4qI0

Another style of narrative music video is one where it tells a more linear story, here is an example - the song is 'Ours' by Taylor Swift: -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZ34LlaIk88

Performance based videos - These videos feature the band/artist performing either to the camera or a visible audience. This type of music video is often used by rock bands and musicians, as they engage visually with the audience by breaking the fourth wall, which is done by looking into the camera, which is effective because it draws the audience into the music almost by invitation. Also, these videos are engaging because they promote the band/artist well as concerts are fun and high-energy and music videos emphasise this. This is why watching a band performance rather than a solo performer can be more interesting as there can be more excitement an energy on stage.

Here are a couple of examples of performance based videos, the first is a band performance of 'She Looks So Perfect' by 5 Seconds of Summer, and the second is 'Rolling in the deep' by Adele - this one actually has a mixture of performance and concept based tropes: -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2BYmmTI04I

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYEDA3JcQqw

Concept based videos - These videos are abstract and are usually based around an idea, and one or a variety of concepts; they are very interpretative. In addition, they often concentrate on a specific editing technique - for example, superimposition.

An example of a concept based music video would be 'Somebody That I Used To Know' by Gotye featuring Kimbra: -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UVNT4wvIGY

Personally, I think that the painting of the colourful shapes on the wall and on the artists' bodies represents the building of a relationship - and when Kimbra's paint is being shown in reverse (she is being unpainted) this represents her leaving the relationship.