Dance Rehearsals

Some of the rehearsals I had I decided to film to document our progress and the learning of various sections of the music video. I choreographed all of the dance by myself and then have been teaching it to my two actors Charlotte and Jess before we start filming so its polished on the day and looks good on camera.

Risk Assessment

This is my risk assessment for my various filming locations which I have considered carefully before filming for the safety of myself and actors.

Moodboard

This is a mood board for my music video. It follows the various colour schemes I have been considering and linking to my song and music video which is pink and green . It also features many images that connotes summer as this is the key and most major theme of my entire song overall. I have also chosen to include some things I am planning on using in my music video such as swings and smoke bombs. Furthermore, some of the celebrities I have chosen to include are similar song styles to mine such as Ariana Grande and Selena Gomez who coincidentally looks relatively similar to my main artist.

Representation / Mise-en-scene

http://prezi.com/ruyzlrb77tbc/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy&rc=ex0share

This Prezi explains the various representations that will feature in my music video.

Locations (Mise-en-scene)

Rehearsal of my dance in location 1:

Location 1: Field in Chieveley used for the majority of the dance scenes requiring my main artist and backing dancers to perform on. Has a relaxing countryside theme which my target audience picked up on that was associated with my song.

 Location 2: Dead end road in Chieveley which will give my music video an urban edge to help widen my audience. This shall also be used for some of the dance scenes and the a scene when my main artist is walking around (seen in story board).

 Location 3: Alternative field in Chieveley that is greener which fits to my overall colour scheme of pink and green (watermelon). This will be used for some of the dance scenes and the smoke bomb scene, requiring my main artist and backing dancers.

Location 4: Chieveley village park will be used to connote summer and holidays as it is a recreational location that my target audience will recognise. This will be used for the scene where all of my cast will hold up letters spelling out the name of my song "Lush Life"

Location 5: White wall where white screen will be hung up to give it a clean background colour. This is plain and basic so won't draw any attention away from the artist which will be the key feature in any indoors shots. All the inside scenes will be filmed here where the main artist is lip syncing.

Shooting Schedule

This is the shooting schedule that I have planned to use to follow so I don't get behind on time for filming. Also, it means I can let my actors know when they will be required to make sure they are available as well as me being available as filming is highly time consuming.

Costumes (Mise-en-scene)

Main Artist:

• Top- coral, pink cami top from Miss Selfridge that will suit my artists skin tone. I have decide to use a bright colour to make the artist stand in comparison to my backing dancers who will be dressed in majority black. Also, this shade of pink fits in with the summery colour scheme that my entire music video is following which is pink and green. 

• Trousers- grey skinny jeans from Topshop which my artist already owns and looks highly stylish in. They are also a conventional thing for a pop star to be wearing as outfits usually focus on the top half of the body which my successfully does. Furthermore, they will be very practical for the dancing and "messing around" scenes as my video requires my artist to do quite a lot of movement.

• Shoes-  Black heeled boots give that will compliment the rest of the outfit in an elegant and feminine way without taking the attention away from the top half of the artist. Also, the heel is very conventional for pop artists to wear especially when complimenting skinny jeans.
• Makeup: The main artist makeup is quite simplistic and naturalist for most pop artists however there will still have to be a significant coverage so that it shows up on the camera. However the main focus on the makeup look will be on the pink glittery lips which furthermore support my videos colour scheme and suggest summer, parties and having fun. This will be an eye-catching feature to my music video.

• Hair- straight long brown hair which my artist conveniently has and will just require straightening on the day of filming. This will be relatively simplistic so that the main focus will be on the glittery lips making them stand out even more significantly than if the hair was too bold. Also gives a contrast to the backing dancers having curls in their hair.

Testing the backing dancers outfits.

Example Outfit

Example Hair look

Backing Dancers:

• Black ballet leotard paired with black tights underneath. This is a simplistic look so the attention isn't taken away from the main artist. However it is also highly practical and comfortable for the backing dancers to be wearing.
• Hair- half up, half down curls to give the dancers a feminine image whilst being practical for the dancing with. 
• Simplistic makeup to again not draw attention from the main artist whilst still having enough coverage to show up on carmera. However, they will wear the same pink glitter lips as the main artist to help compliment the main artist and  create some continuity between the two. 
• No jewellery for practical reasons when dancing.



Example Makeup look

• Shoes- the same black boots as the main artist to compliment the rest of the outfit and be practical for dancing and filming.
  Extras: Extras will be wearing very casual outfits that they would wear in their day-to-day lives to not draw any attention to their clothing. There is no specific dress code however bceuaes I want it to be spontaneous and very casual to create a more casual scene in my music video. These are some examples of the kind of outfits. 
  
  
  

Lists (Mise-en-scene)

Equipment List:

• Camera- Nikon D3100 a good quality camera to film all the shots of my music video on. This will be used to create a professional shot with minimal blur and high quality.
• Tripod- This will be used to steady the camera for the majority of the shots used and make sure the footage isn't shaky which would make it less professional. Also these can be used to create some successful panning shots.
• Editing Software (Adobe Premier)- I shall use this software to edit my music video once it has been filmed. This is so I can put all my shots together and edit various things about the shots to give the video a professional finish.
• Background (White Screen)- For some of the shots such as the lip syncing a green screen will be used so a solid white background can be used rather than a wall that won't have such a clean cut colour.
• Lighting- I will use natural lighting to give the video an authentic tone and I will use a sunny day to make the shots look much prettier and like summer which is the theme of my music video. 
• Speaker- So the model/artist can hear the music when lip-syncing or dancing in the filming so they don't forget what they are doing or lose their place.
• Computer- I will use this to run the Adobe editing software for the production process of my music video.

Props List:

• Cardboard signs of  individual letters for the cast members to hold that spell out "Lush Life" in the "having fun" scenes. 
• Smoke bombs- to add colour to the scene and it will add to the summery theme of my music video as they look fun and exciting on the camera. Futhermore, they are also a frequent feature of music videos meaning I will be fitting to the conventions of music videos.
  

I am going to be doing all the filming and directing myself to make sure I include everything that I need for my music video and so that it is finished to a standard that I am happy with.

Focus Group

I asked 6 girls that fitted my target audience 4 questions about my song and potential for a music video which were:

Question 1- What does this song make you think of?

Question 2- What kind of music video would you expect it to go with?

Question 3- What colours do you relate to this song?

Question 4- What audience do you think this song is aimed at?

When I create my storyboard I will use many of the ideas and themes that my focus group thought of to make sure I appeal successfully to my target audience especially the idea of summer and having fun.

Target Audience Analysis

Here are some charts displaying the findings from my focus group and target research.

I am going to use the ideas that my target audience have thought of to help me create a successful music video that will appeal to them and compliment the song well. This will make sure that I fit the purpose of music videos which is to entertain a specific audience. 

These ideas have also helped me be more creative and think of things I hadn't previously considered would be appropriate for a successful music vidoe. It has also given me idea so I could focus more on the frameworks such as editing and camera angles that I will intend to use. 

This data will be particular valuable when designing my digi-pack and article to decide colours that will support my song choice and simultaneously appeal to my target audience.

This is making sure that my target audience i decided agree that they fit the target audience for the song choice, which they did. 

My Target Audience

http://prezi.com/mj1qk8f9-qtl/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy&rc=ex0share

Laura Mulvey's Theory

Laura Mulvey's theory of the "male gaze" suggests that the world is viewed through the eyes of a heterosexual male. This means that women are highly objectified on many media platforms such as films or in this case music videos. This also means that women can only view these media forms from a secondary, male perspective.

However, this theory can be seen as relatively dated as men's and society's views on women are constantly changing and evolving meaning women aren't being objectified to the same extent by the media.

An example of Laura Mulvey's theory in a music video where women are being objectified is Robin Thicke's blurred lines video:

Intertextuality

Intertextuality in music videos is when one media text is referenced in the music video. This can be in the form TV shows, films, etc.

Pastiche/ Homage- referencing other media texts in a complimentary way.

Parody- making "fun" of other texts using your music video.

An example of this is:

Fancy by Iggy Azalea's music video intertextualises with the romantic-comedy "Clueless", featuring many scenes that follow pastiche as a form of Intertextuality.

Andrew Goodwin's Theory

Relationship between lyrics and visuals (Adele, Hello)

He believes successful music videos consider:

• Thought through beat- What the beat in the music makes you think in your head.
• The relationship between the visuals and the lyrics- This can help create the plot to the video and the audience can make connections to what they are hearing and seeing.
• The narrative or story of the lyrics- draws in the audience if it has an interesting plot.



Narrative (Katy Perry, Roar)

• Star image or a protagonist (Richard & Geoff Dyer did further research into star theory)- This is used to appeal the video and create a character for the audience to connect with. 

Star image (Rihanna and Drake, Work)

Request for copyright permission

This is the letter I sent to the copyright address of the record label 'Epic Records' to request my copyright permission for the use of their song "Lush Life (acoustic)". However, they never got back to me with or without permission so I will have to go forth with my project regardless.

My song choice

I have decided to chose "Lush Life (acoustic)" by Zara Larsson for my music video which is an acoustic version of the hit pop song "Lush Life". I believe that the lyrics and tune make it easy to think of concepts and ideas to support the song in the form of a music video. Furthermore, as this is the type of song that I would listen to and would appeal to myself I believe I would able to make a successful music video that I would enjoy to watch and therefore would appeal to my target audience. Finally, it is an appropriate choice because my friends that I wish to use as actors are of the correct age and look appropriate to appear in a music video of this song.

Initial Ideas:

"Still falling for you"- Ellie Golding:

• Contemporary dance
• Different locations
• Lots of usual editing
• Drum section

"Middle"- DJ Snake:

• Scenic views
• Story line
• Couple (cute)

"Same old love"- Selena Gomez:

• Split Story
• Half performance (lip syncing)
• Half lyrical dance

"Lush Life (acoustic)"- Zara Larsson:

• Letters on signs
• Contemporary dance
• Performance section

Digipak Analysis

I have analysed two digipaks, both of the pop genre to try learn the characteristics so I can apply them to my own digipak and then successfully appeal to my audience.

The first digipak is Ariana Grande's "My Everything":

The Second digipak is Rihanna's Loud:

Poster Analysis

I have analysed two music poster both for female pop artists to try understand the conventions of promotional posters for my genre and artist so I can plan and design a successful poster.

The first is Rihanna's "Loud" promotional poster:

The second is Jessie J's "Who you are" poster:

We Don't Talk Anymore Analysis

We don't talk anymore by Charlie Puth ft. Selena Gomez:

This music and video is also from the genre of pop. 

A scene from "We don't talk anymore" showing a split-screen

• The lyrics in the video support the story line and is about two people who "Don't talk anymore" hence the name of the song. This is further supported by scenes showing phone screens with no texts on them to match the lyrics.
• There is less focus on the actual song in the video as the main feature is the story line. This is clear because no instruments are seen and the characters aren't singing the lyrics in the scenes.
• The main singer (Charlie Puth) also plays the main male character in the music video which helps create a star persona and gives the artist further promotion through the use of a music video. There are various shot types used which clearly shows the artist and makes the audience or viewer more aware of him as an artist. 
• This music video uses an unusual split-screen feature to help create the plot of the video which allows for clear shots of the artist and create the star persona. As this is an unusual feature it means that it isn't conventional for a pop genre video making it stand out and draws attention. 
• The only inter-textual references in this music video are that all of Charlie Puth's music videos are about love in some way which supports the lyrics of his songs. This is highly conventional of the pop genre as most pop songs relate to love in some way. 
• Regarding representation in this video, males and females are clearly portrayed differently. In the opening scenes the female character is stereotypically seen applying make up which suggests her femininity to the audience instantly. Stereotypically, later following the plot of the video she is shown to be crying which implies her vulnerability as she is female. Charlie Puth's character is seen as being sad but doesn't cry because he is portrayed as being the masculine and dominant figure which is highly stereotypical in music videos especially for the pop genre.

Closer Analysis

Closer by The Chainsmokers ft. Halsey

This song fits into the genre of pop and has been featured in the charts across the summer of 2016.

A lyric scene in "closer"

• The song is a lyric video which means there is overall focus on the lyrics suggesting the plot isn't the main feature of the video. This is seen throughout the entire video and is used to draw attention to the song which is less conventional of the pop genre. 
• No instruments are seen throughout the music video which is highly conventional for the pop genre. However, the editing speeds up as there are no lyrics and appears to move with the beat of the song in the instrumental periods.
• The artists aren't featured in the music video however, there are lots of close up shots of the two characters to show their expressions that are playing a couple in a romantic plot. Theses close ups help tell the story of the video. The plot of the video relates to the lyrics because the lyrics are about a couple and love. 
• This music video is clearly a narrative based music video as it follows a clear plot of a couple throughout the whole video which is a common feature for music videos for pop songs.
• With regards to representation in the video there are shots that suggest sexual objectification of the female character. There are only provocative shots of the female character which is highly conventional for pop genre music videos. This objectification could be used to appeal men to watch the video especially as there are pauses on particular body parts which emphasises sexuality.  

-An example of provocative shots in "closer"

Record Labels

Closer by The Chainsmokers- Columbia Records  is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation. This is a massive American cooperation that distribute other artists such as Adele and Beyonce. This means they have lots of money and expertise to help promote and make as much profit for the artist as possible because they have the money and resources to put into them. The main focus in the music video for the label will be about promoting the song and getting people to buy it meaning the more inventive the music video the more views and therefore greater promotion.

We don't talk anymore by Charlie Puth- Atlantic Recording Corporation is also an American record label that is part of the Warner Music group which is owned by Warner Bros. Atlantic Records also distributes other artists such as Ed Sheeran and Flo Rider who are all big stars requiring extensive budgets and promotion meaning the company has the resources to create effective music videos. Similarly to Columbia Records the main purpose in the music video for the label is for promotion of sales as that's how the company makes its money. 

Hip-Hop Genre