Animatic

Lighting Ideas

As there is going to be a lot of natural light coming from the windows, I will not need a lot of synthetic lighting. Yet this all depends on the time of day I shoot the video, most likely I will shoot at around 4pm, as it will be autumn when I shoot this video (30th September - 18th October if I keep to the schedule).

I think that as the windows will produce a lot of light, I need to ensure that the camera's light levels are not going to make the image seem to cold and white. I could dim the lighting physically using some white curtains around the bay. This could also make the mise-en-scene a lot more interesting.

I am thinking about using fairy lights and candles as extra lighting in the background, these are more props than for their lighting function as they do not produce a lot of light. I like how candles are featured in the background of Laura Marling's Sophia and they are their to add texture to the out-of-focus background.

Risk Assessment

Final Location

After my research into locations I have concluded that I will shoot in the window bay. This is because it is much more accessible for shooting and it means that I can film the video on mine and the artist's schedule as it is in my home.

A window bay would be effective as I think that it reflects the genre very well. It will definitely give the video a natural theme which will go with the acoustic style.

I think that I could make the lighting very interesting by embracing the natural daylight, though this could be an issue though as it could be too bright on the artist's faces. This is why I am thinking about shooting at twilight time and I also think that this will fit perfectly as it is will be autumn when I shoot my video. I wanted to use candles and maybe fairy lights as part of the mise-en-scene and if I shoot during a darker time of day I will be able to have these in the background and they will not look like the are there for no reason as it will be light.

My only concern is that as the space is quite small it may make the artists look uncomfortable. I think that as I am planning on having Ben sat down, it will not be as restrictive as it would be if they were both standing/sitting. I think that I might have to use the piano stool rather than a big chair as this will take up more space. As I am planning on having a lot of zooms and pans in my video I am concerned that these may not look smooth enough as I have run out of space. I think that the likelihood of me adding these pans during editing using the crop function is very high. But I do not think that this may lower the quality of the image if I do.

Artist's Influence Playlist

Another way of showing the type of artists that have influenced The Native is through the YouTube sessions called The Mahogany Sessions:

Artist's Style

Ben's Outfit:

This is a small mood board for my style ideas for Ben. I have been influenced by the style of existing artists like Jack Steadman, Willy Mason, Ben Howard. I think that a shirt and jeans will keep the outfit casual yet smart, I have tried to not make an outfit that will be too formal, like Willy Mason's suits. As the guitar will be a brown colour, I will try and choose a shirt that contrasts against the guitar so the shape will be more defined. I have added a baseball tee as I think that this may make the outfit more casual, but I think that a pale blue or checkered shirt is the more likely top choice.

Chloe's Outfit:

I found it much harder to decide on some outfit ideas for Chloe. I think that this is because Ben will be more of a focal point in the video and I want to choose an outfit that make her not as distinct as ben, but still stand out. I was tempted to lean more towards a dress as this is a simple outfit choice. But I think that a t-shirt and jeans will be more casual and reflect the other existing artists that are similar to the style I hope to achieve - Lucy Rose, Laura Marling. As Ben will have a guitar as a prop that he will be using, I have taken some of my ideas and presented them along with the outfit choice to show what I intend to include in the video. I do not want Chloe to be holding any props as I would like to do some close-ups of her hands to show the delicate side of the video. 

I think that I a natural look on both the make-up and hair style will suit the video and reflect the natural theme of the video.

Experiment 2: Titles/Text within Videos

As I mentioned in my conventions post, I really like the idea of using an text slide at the beginning of my video as it slows the pace of the video and helps to introduce the band and the song they are playing. Though some may argue that having the titles within the video may be unnecessary, I think that it may add more professionalism to my finished work and makes the video seem more cinematic.

A major element that I need to look at is the font or type-style that I use. I may want to use a logo that I will later use on the magazine advert and digipak, but I think that thin, handwritten font looks much more like the style I want to reflect within the video.

I will not add this until I have shot and started editing, yet I think that I need to decide if I am going to use this method as it could mean I have to plan the beginning of my storyboard around the text slide. This is because I do not want to use a clip that is too busy for the viewer to focus on the text and I do not want to divert their attention from the video.

  Examples from other texts:

Local Native's unusual video for 'Heavy Feet' featuring Visually impaired model airplane pilots, singing sandwiches. 

I have experimented with this idea on some footage I filmed over summer, I have used the song that I have chosen to see if it matches the tone of the song.

I think that this method with the text showing the clip behind it would be more effective if I used a black background rather than white. Also, If I made the image I used a higher quality it would reduce the blurring around the edges of the text. I had to use the online picture editor 'pixlr' to produce these transparent images and I this reduced the quality of the images I used.

Acoustic/Alternative Video Conventions

Close-up of acoustic guitar fret board:
I think that this is a very effective shot as it immediately gives the viewer an impression of an acoustic song. I think that this is an ideal shot to open my video with as the song is lead by the acoustic guitars main riff.

Colouring:
I have also noticed that most acoustic-style videos have a sepia colour palette to match the colouring in the guitar. This could also reflect the folk style of the songs as most folk songs are very soft, and by using softening the video by using a warmer filter on the video during editing. This is one thing that I need to consider during the shooting, as if i choose to use a location with lots of natural light, it is very likely that I could make the video seem cold and dull.

Name of Band/Title of Track screen:

I really like the idea of interrupting the first couple of shots with a title screen including the artist's name and the track name. I think that this is an effective way of introducing the band to the viewer, it also helps to slow the pace of the video, rather than rushing into introducing the artists.

Unconventional Shots:
An idea that I pitched to my class was to have quite oddly-framed, unconventional shots. I think that as the idea for the video is very simple I want to make sure that I try to keep the viewer interested. I am planning on illustrating these ideas more during storyboarding.

These stills were taken from a You Me At Six video, this no where near the genre that I will be looking at, yet I think that I can take something from the camera angles that the director of this video has used.

Bombay Bicycle Club - Still

I found this video after I researching Bombay Bicycle Club's live sessions. I do not think this is the official music video for this song as it is a live performance.

It is another example of a one-shot video like Keaton Henson's. As there is a lot more camera movement in this video it could be more appealing to a wider audience as Keaton Henson's video could make the usual viewer uncomfortable as it is a very delicate and emotional video. This song is unlike a lot of Bombay Bicycle Club's indie songs and I think that they have done it justice by shooting it in a very intimate and unusual way.

This video has made me a lot more interested in using a Church as my location as I think that a Church would fully reflect the acoustic feel as it reinforces the echoes within the song.

Location Ideas

My house has a lot of window bays, I think that a window bay would be an ideal location as it matches the calm, acoustic, folk style. I think maybe with a window open and the curtains moving it could look very effective.

As the daylight could be quite strong, I think that white curtains dim the amount of daylight coming into the room and make the lighting not seem to bright on the artists faces. 

My lounge also features a window bay, but it has a mini grand piano in the centre.

This prop would suit the folky style and could be effective in my video. My only concern with this is that it takes up a substantial amount of room in the window bay and could mean that I will not have enough room to place the artists in a way that will make them look comfortable, rather than too close to each other.








Another idea I had was to shoot in a empty room, this may seem a little bit bland, but I plan on making it interesting with props/lighting. My idea of interesting mise-en-scene involves using something like empty frames, fairy lights, candles, patterned fabric hanging in the background.

I also thought about using an idea from Laura Marling's video for Sophia. Her video is shot in a church and looks as though it is lit by candle light.
I think that is may look to religious if I shoot in a church, and this is not what I want to achieve as the song has no links to religion.
Yet it could match the acoustic tone to the video as it could seem as though they are playing the song live because the echoes are very prominent in the song.





I am thinking about mixing two of the locations together to make the video more interesting to the viewer. My main locations that I want to focus on are the window bay with the piano and a church. I am currently trying to get in contact with someone who can let me look around the church to ensure that I am making the right decision about the location.


Window bay 2:

Song Choice - Flaws by Bombay Bicycle Club

LYRICS:

Taking the second plan,
Begging to understand,
Life of a selfless man.

'Cos out of all the flaws I've stumbled on,
It's the hardest one to focus on.
It's the hardest one to focus on.

Why're you calling on?
Isn't one enough?
Giving up all she's got.

'Cos out of all the flaws I've stumbled on,
It's the hardest one to focus on.
It's the hardest one to focus on.

Mood Board / Pitch

Social Network Links for Artist

Social networks are a great way to promote a band/artist to a wider audience. It helps the band/artist to appear more like individuals and real, genuine people.

Websites like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Tumblr are free, this also helps bands to market their music at many different audiences in different ways - video, photos, text posts for nothing. These websites also help any fans to keep up to date with any release dates, tour, tickets and information about the band. And more than likely, if someone is interested in a band/artist's music they will search for them on any of these sites first.

These websites are primarily dominated by younger audiences (13-25), especially for music. This is because social networks have only been popular for a short amount of time and some generations have missed out or lack interest in these websites. 

Existing Artists

As I have chosen to use Bombay Bicycle Club's 'Flaws', I am focusing on researching male and female duos. The band I have chosen will also feature a girl and a boy in the video as I feel that this will reflect the delicate nature of the song, rather than having the full band in shot.

Bombay Bicycle Club 

(Jack Steadman & Lucy Rose)

Genre- Alternative/Acoustic (Based on album 'Flaws')
Style (Woman) - Casual, T-shirts, Jeans, little make-up, un-styled hair
Style (Man) - Shirt, Dress shoes, Jeans.
Ideal Mise-en-scene - Acoustic guitar, Books, Glasses, Tea Cup?

Ben Howard & India Bourne

Genre - Acoustic/Folk

Style (Woman)  - T-shirt/casual dress, thick cardigan, lipstick.

Style (Man) - Hoody, un-styled hair, thumb ring.

Ideal Mise-en-scene - Interesting lighting, e.g. fairy lights/candles

Laura Marling & Willy Mason

Genre - Acoustic/Folk/Blues

Style (Man) - Smartly dressed, suit & tie, could reflect intelligence/age.

Style (Woman) - Full length white dress with long sleeves. Dyed hair, little make-up.

Ideal Mise-en-scene - Old, rickety chair, lit by daylight, record player, empty classical frames?

Artist Biography

After meeting at college, Ben Allen and Chloe Hayward mixed guitar, vocals and violin together to form The Native. With the fusion Ben's songwriting and Chloe's melodic violin, The Native have a diverse collection of songs, from acoustic folk to electric blues. 

After playing a mixture of open mic nights and support slots, The Native were offered a set at Strawberry Fields Festival, where they caught the attention of BBC Introducing and gained airplay. 

Audience Profile / Market Research

My research shows there is a wide age range for the genre of music that I will be looking at. I have concluded that the age range can be anything from (13-30).
The song that I have chosen is by a band called Bombay Bicycle Club, they are an indie/acoustic band that started playing in their early teens and played glastonbury festival within their late teens. Bombay Bicycle Club are not a massive, mainstream band like Coldplay, Kasabian, etc.

UK Tribes Research
The genre of music I am looking to base my video on is not 'pop' music, and it is seen as indie/acoustic/alternative.
I think that Uk Tribes best describes my audience as either:

• Young Alts - 'Want out of the mainstream. For now its getting their hands on as much cult material as possible.'
• Creatives - I think that creative people appreciate alternative music as it reflects their creative personalities.
• Indie Scenesters  -'discovering the freshest music before anyone else' I think that as the genre I intend to look at involves lots of under the radar musicians, this group of young people would enjoy listening to new and creative bands.

An argument I received in my feedback was that Bombay Bicycle Club produce music that would also appeal to 'mainstream' markets. This is because they think that an indie band like BBC are seen as 'cool' within this tribe.

I think that I need to make sure I market the band that I create, rather than the band whose song it originally is. I think that as the feedback I received was about Bombay Bicycle Club as a band, rather than just the song, I can justify aiming the band I create and it's music at a more alternative 'tribe'. This is because I can say that 'Flaws' is one of their more popular, mainstream songs and their other songs are seen as alternative.

Music Video Analysis: Laura Marling - Sophia

Laura Marling is an established Folk singer/songwriter from London.

This video for Sophia is an example of illustration as it is a simple performance video with no storyline. I think that a performance video is very suitable for a folk video, as it can make the viewer feel as though they are there, experiencing the performance and I think that this is because most folk music is acoustic.

The folk genre is usually linked to acoustic instruments and often the songs are very relaxed with no computerised sounds/instruments.

I think that this video is very conventional for the folk genre. This is because the mis-en-scene reflects the folk genre, e.g. set in a church, candles. I think that the set for this video reflects the song as the vocals have been echoed as though it was recorded in a church. Also, Marling refers to religion within her lyrics - 'getting down on your knees to pray'.

I think that the camera angles match the music very effectively. At the beginning when she's just playing by herself, the angles are all very close up, with some slow pans. This helps to keep the pace of the video and the viewers attention. As the music builds up, we start to see more of the mise-en-scene, including the band behind her. I think that this helps to ensure that the viewer knows that there is more to be shown, and that the music is going to build up to a crescendo.

To begin with, the cuts between shots are very smooth and match the pace of the music at that point. As she stands up and the band kicks in, the cuts become quite sudden and the shots have been transformed into slow motion until she reaches the band. I think that the slow motion is very powerful during the movement from slow to fast as it anticipates what is about to come.

I think that the way that she doesn't look at the camera throughout the video adds a more casual and intimate feeling as it seems as though she is playing to herself and the band only. This is carried throughout the video and is shown by the way she faces towards the band, rather than into the church.

Lucy Rose - Shiver

Keaton Henson

Keaton Henson - You Don't Know How Lucky You Are
This video features the actress Sophie Thompson, the sister of oscar winner Emma Thompson. I think that her acting in this video is very impressive and suits the style of Henson's music, as it is based on the emotion behind Henson's songs.

One of the key elements of this video is the actresses costume. I think that costume will be an important factor to the video that I make as this adds more interest to the video and makes the viewer wonder what the story behind the character is.
The background of this video is a barren field, as the costume looks very aged, the location suits the style of video very well as it reflects the costume.

The first focus is on the woman's hands showing how delicate her character is, it then pans to her face. The camera is stationary for the first couple of minuets, then towards the end of the video we see the whole of the character as the camera gradually zooms out to reveal the whole of the mise-en-scene.
I really like this idea, and I think that I will include this in my video as it is very effective. By waiting until the last couple of seconds to reveal the whole mise-en-scene, it makes the viewer anxious to see what is missing from the video and reveal more background to the character.






Keaton Henson's videos are very unique. His videos for 'Sweetheart, what have you done to us' and 'You don't know how lucky you are' feature a close-up shot of Keaton (Sweetheart) and Sophie Thompson (You don't know...). Whereas, 'Lying To You' carries on the single-shot type videos, but this video is has more elements to it than Keaton's other two videos.