Treatment

My music video will be mainly narrative based, revolving around an abusive relationship however there will also be some performance elements as well. My video will feature 2 main characters (one female and one male) who are in a relationship but neither are happy. They often fight verbally and physically (mainly on the males part) which pushes the female character to eventually kill the male character at the end of the video. For the performance elements I am interested in using a split screen and having lip sync sections. Due to the dancey nature of the song I also thought that I could possibly include a form of energetic, crazy dancing.

3 Initial Ideas

Lyrics Moodboard

Developing on my lyrics analysis I have created a lyric moodboard which represents some of the more literal meanings behind the song lyrics. This has helped me to gain a visual representation of what could possibly be included in my video and the type of mise-en-scene, etc which could be used.

Lyrics Analysis

I decided to carry out an analysis of the lyrics to my chosen song to gain a wider understanding of the meaning and intended interpretation as to replicate this in my video. The general feel of the song appears to be about 'losing yourself' and forgetting about your problems and the past (possibly through drug abuse). There is also frequent reference to a lifeless and hard figure which appears to be haunting her (maybe an ex boyfriend).

Audience Research - Survey

In order to see what audiences expect/want from a music video i conducted an online survey made up of relevant questions which will help me to develop/improve my ideas. This will hopefully allow me to reach my target audience.

Here is a copy of my survey:

Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey , the world's leading questionnaire tool.

Lyric Timing

Background of The Yeah Yeah Yeahs

This is a short video that I created which gives some brief information about the band and their song 'Heads Will Roll'. By doing this research I have been able to gain a better understanding of each of the band members personalities, therefore allowing me to interpret the song the way they intended. This will hopefully help me to create a video for the song which matches the thoughts and style of the band.

Music Video Song Choice

The song I have chosen to create my music video to is 'Heads Will Roll' by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. This is an Indie Pop/ Alternative Dance song which is featured on the bands 3rd album 'It's Blitz', released in 2009. The song was remixed by 'A-Track' to be featured in the 2012 movie 'Project X'.

I chose this song in particular because the lyrics and overall nature of the song sparked several ideas regarding a narrative. The lyrics to the song give hints towards possible themes which could be incorporated within the video, helping me to develop initial ideas. I also like the fast tempo and up beat nature of the song as this will allow me to use fast editing techniques. Furthermore the fun, 'dancy' beat is entertaining and different, which drew me to the song initially and is something which I'd like to highlight within my music video. In addition to this the 'dancy' nature of the song allows for a range of performance elements to be included. The current music video didn't really appeal to me either, therefore I feel like I can come up with a set of unique ideas which will hopefully attract my target audience.

Length: 3:41

Possible Song Choices

I decided to create a mind-map of the different thoughts I had towards possible song choices. I came up with a range of ideas and narrowed it down to these few. I believe that these songs would be fairly easy and good to make a music video to due to their lyrics and general beat of the song. The lyrics give off certain messages which would make thinking of a narrative quite easy and the beat of the songs generally make editing simple. In addition to this I've had ideas of what I could include in a video for all of these songs.

Textual Analysis - Follow by Crystal Fighters

Textual Analysis - Sweet Nothing by Calvin Harris ft. Florence Welch

Conventions of Form and Genre

History of Music Videos

Successful Music Videos

In class we watched a number of successful music videos, which had been created by previous students, and we identified what was good about them and why they recieved the grade they did. I created a grid with the various successful features which these students used so I know what looks good when I come to making my own music video.

Unsuccessful Music Videos

In class we watched a number of unsuccessful music videos, which had been created by previous students, and we identified what was wrong with them and why they recieved the grade they did. I created a grid with the various mistakes which these students made so I know what to avoid when I come to making my own music video.

Analysis of Existing Music Videos

Crystal Fighters - Follow (Alternative)

Narrative of Music Video:

This particular music video doesn't really have a particular narrative as such and instead follows a more abstract theme, however we do see the main woman in the video follow the scarecrow which could suggest a slight narrative being formed. 

Techniques and Conventions:

• Lip sync has been used
• The editing of the video matches the tempo of the song 
• The video is made up of lots of different shots, each using different make-up and costume, giving a psychedelic  effect
• Blue lighting has been used adding to the abstract theme

5 Seconds of Summer - Amnesia (Pop)

Narrative of Music Video:

This music video follows a love theme with 'memories' from the past being the main feature, however this is combined with each band member individually lip syncing sections of the song creating an intimate relationship with the audience.

Techniques and Conventions:

• Lip sync has been used
• A shot has been taken from inside the astronaut costume to give the impression of it being another person, such as a friend
• The editing used in the video matches the pace of the song 
• Both a blur effect and slow motion have been used, which links with the songs theme
• Extreme close ups have been used on the musical instruments, which entertains the audience focusing solely on the music

We Found Love - Rhianna ft. Calvin Harris (Pop)

Narrative of Music Video:

The narrative of this music video is again based around love, showing the ups and downs of relationships. We see a lot of happy moments where the couple are kissing, etc but then we also equally see moments where both characters are being aggressive towards each other. These emotions and the overall narrative fit with the lyrics of the song well.

Techniques and Conventions:

• A voice over has been used, which helps to give context about the narrative
• The editing in the video matches the songs up beat tempo
• The video uses lots of different settings, preventing it from becoming boring
• The settings used help to reflect the negative stereotype created by the lyrics and the song in general
• A slow motion effect has been used at times, which is useful in reflecting how the main character is feeling

What Makes a Good Music Video?

What makes a good music video?

• A clear narrative
• Editing which matches the tempo of the music
• An original concept
• Using lots of different shots 
• Using different shot types and camera movement
• Using a range of props and costumes

What are the conventions of music videos?

• Having a narrative
• Editing in time to the tempo of the music
• Having lip sink within the video
• Switching between different sets
• Having costume changes throughout the video
• Using different shot types

What conventions would you include in your own work?

Probably the majority of them because they help to make music videos appear professional, however I'll still make my video unique so that its not boring and plain. I also might not use a narrative in my video and instead go for an abstract theme which mainly relys on editing so that my videos different to most of the videos out there.

Postives and Negatives of Existing Music Videos

Beyonce - Halo

Positives: 

• It has a clear narrative 
• Its a fairly simple concept but things such as the lip sinking and the dancing hold the viewers attention
• The use of bright lighting within the video helps to express the positivity of the song and goes alongside the 'angel' theme
• The editing matches the slow tempo of the song 
• The cinematography varies throughout preventing the video from becoming boring

Negatives:

• Several of the shots are maybe too long and get boring to watch 
• Its not very unique and is something that I'm not likely to remember
• Its possibly too simple 

Kasabian - Vlad the Impaler

Positives:

• It again has a clear narrative which is entertaining and at times quite funny
• The concept is fairly unique and different to most music videos
• It uses a range of shot types and camera movements 
• Some of the editing techniques used help to make the lead character appear more 'threatening' and 'scary'
• The editing matches the fast tempo of the song

Negatives:

• Its only suitable for a limited audience, for example children would probably not like this video

Ed Sheeran - Give Me Love

Positives:

• It also has a clear narrative
• It uses a range of settings which prevent the video from becoming repetitive 
• The use of diegetic sound at the beginning helps to establish the situation
• It uses a range of shot types which help to hold the viewers interest
• The concept is simple but has a modern twist which makes the video appear more entertaining 

Negatives:

• Camera movement is limited (there arent many pans or tilts, etc)
• Its not very original 

Paramore - Still Into You

Positives:

• It has a lot of elements which when put together become quite entertaining 
• It uses lots of different props which adds to the entertainment
• The costumes used help to reflect the band members personalities 
• The editing matches the fast tempo of the song 
• It uses lots of different shots which prevents you from getting bored
• The bright colours and lighting reflect the pop nature of the song 

Negatives:

• It doesnt really have a narrative so it can appear slightly confusing at times 
• Its quite childlike and immature
• Its slightly repetitive 

Foals - Inhaler

Positives:

• Its unique and different to most videos, therefore meaning its something I'd be likely to remember
• Its uses several settings preventing the video from becoming boring and repetitive 
• It uses lots of different shots and shot types which prevent it from becoming dull

Negatives:

• The video can be confusing and hard to follow at times 
• It doesnt really follow a narrative 
• It is slightly repetitive 

Main Task brief

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

• A cover for its release as part of a digipak (CD/DVD package)
• A magazine advertisement for the digipak (CD/DVD package)