Camera Skills

Before we attempt to go out and start the filming for our music video, it is very important that we learn and master a few basic skills of the camera before hand. Not only will this give us more experience, but it will save time when we are actually shooting, to know exactly what to do, and what things we need to check for before we begin. This is also important, because we are using actors in our video, and we need to ensure they are not simply hanging around, and loose interest in the process, therefore not making the video the best it can be.

When picking up the camera from the technician it is important that we check:

* always check when using a tripod that you have the tripod plate.
* check you have a fully charged battery, and a spare in case this runs out.
* make sure you have a head cleaning tape, which can be used to clean the camera before filming.
* carry lint free material to clean the screen, or to wipe the screen in certain conditions.
* shoot test footage before heading out, and to check the overall quality of this.

Handheld Techniques:

There are many techniques which can be used when trying to film some of the shots using a handheld camera. It can be very hard to keep the camera still, especially when zooming in or out of the subject and so these things need to be done to ensure the filming is at its best quality.

* use the equipment around you to help balance the camera when producing a zoomed shot. For example, a chair or a table.
* if there is no equipment, use a body part, such as knees and shoulders to steady the camera, and allow you to film and see what you are doing at the same time.

White Balance:

When setting out to film it is important that you take into consideration the amount of lighting used, and whether the light used is natural or artificial. To make sure the camera picks up everything you are seeing, it is crucial that the white balance is altered. This can be done through 'auto settings' on the camera and set to either:

* artificial = filming under a fluorescent lights (if this is not changed the footage will appear blue)

* natural = filming under natural light from the sun (if this is not changed the footage will appear orange)

Flat Plans

These are the designs that I have created fo my inital ideas for my digipack. I have tried to make some of the designs consistent to the video - such as Brighton Pier, but I have also included the individuality of some of the 'Florence and the Machine' videos, and to pick up on the unique and slightly weird ideas featured on her covers and in her videos.

For these designs, I have played around with the theme of 'you've got the love', and just like we feaure the song throughout the video, I have also featured the theme of love througout my digipack. The hearts used in this digipack, could be a representation of any kind of love, and so have I have used them in a general sense, to not just mean love in a relationship, but it also could mean the love of a friend.

I have used the idea in two of my designs, of using heart shapes fairy lights. Not only do i think this is a slightly strange concept and links in with Florence's personality. but I also feel it represents the theme of the song, by having love all around you. I also want the lights in this image to show up amoung everything else, and for the image to stand out on the digipack. I am however unsure where about I want to place this image, and whether I want it to be featured on the main cover for everyone to clearly see, or whether to use it in the inside cover, among with other abstarct images.

For the colours of my digipack, I want to use bright shades of colour, and to have certain aspects of the photos highlighted, and for the colours to stand out. Once of my inital ideas is to enhance and edit the colours of the costumes worn and to have the background a plain white or cream, so that the main focus is on the character. This has been inspired by one of Florence and the Machines vidoeos 'kiss with a fist', where a similar concept is adopted.

When taking images for my digipack, I want the images to be strange and unusual, and to try and reflect the quirky personality of Florence and the Machine, and the randomness used in most indie artist videos. I am going to take a variety of different shots, some close ups of the model, and some long shots showing off the costume, and the setting in which the image is being taken. Once I have taken these, I will be editing them in Adobe Photoshop, and choosing the best ones to be featured in my digipack.

This is the inspiration for the bright colours used in my digipack against a plain coloured background.

This is an image from the 'Florence and the Machine' video Rabbit Heart. I have been really inspired by this image, as I find it very interesting and it really shows of Florences unique and different style. I want to create a similar effect of this image when taking pictures for my digipack, and to bring across the unusual style of Florence in my work. However, when using the mirror, I want to enhance the image, by adding in using 'Adobe Photoshop', the words LOVE, as if they have been written on the mirror with a pen.

Digipack

For this coursework, we are required to produce not only a music video based on a specific genre and target audience, but also a DVD/CD digipack. This will feature the song we have chosen and the video to go with it. To make this, I will be using Adobe Photpshop and Adobe InDesign and will also be using my own original photographs in the style of our chosen genre.

It is also important to take into consideration the target audience for my artist when designing and planning the initial ideas for my digipack. This will also help the consistency of my video and CD design. The target audience for our artist are people aged between 13-25, and just like we aimed our video to this audience and included themes in which they can relate to, it is also important that when designing my digipack, it links in which these themes too. This may include, images which this image can relate to, and also the colour scheme for example.

What is a digipack? www.amstore.co.uk/

The term digipack is used to describe a CD/DVD case that comprises of a plastic disk tray that is integral within a folding cardboard case. Digipacks give the impression of an extra level of quality, and can be used with full colour printed images and text to bring a high level of presentation and design. CD digipacks are an attractive display option that can present far more information and graphics than standard Jewel cases and offer a luxury finish and that much sought after keep factor that many people desire when selling or presenting their product.


Florence and the Machine


This is the album cover/outer from panel for my chosen artists, Florence and the Machine. The titles of her album is 'lungs' and the theme of the body has been used when designing and making the 'digipack' for this CD case. Florence as a person, is very unique and an individual and this is clearly shown in the way in which her videos are made, and also reflected in the CD design. This particular cover, is of Florence herself, and she is standing in front of a wall of flowers and natural made made things (just like the body). The main focus of the image is of her, as her white pale skin stands out among the green background. From this, our eyes are then drawn to the lunges, which highlights the theme of the album.



This is an image of the interior design of the CD and shows the print which has been put on to the CD. Once again, from looking closely at this image, it links in with the theme of 'lungs', as it is of someones hands, holding a heart. This can be seen in two different ways to hightlight some of the themes within some of the Florence and the Machine's songs.
1. Holding onto love, and keeping it close to you.
2. Being broken by love, and wanting to destroy it.
These particular themes are shown in quite a few songs, such as 'Kiss With a Fist' for example.

Finally, this is the outer back panel of the Florence and the Machine album. From looking at this, it shows a complete contrast from that which has been seen on the outer cover and the interior design. This design, has been kept very plain, and does not include colour like the other designs, But does include again, the theme of 'lungs'. I believe that this design has been kept simple and easy for the audience, as on the back is where the names and order of the songs appear. If this page included a lot of colour, (like the outer front panel), it may become confusing for the audience, and the words may be difficult to read.

Bat for Lashes

From creating the pitch for my video, another artist who is similar to the quirky and unusual designs that some artists such as Florence and the Machine choose to adopt, is Bat for Lashes.

From looking at the cover design for this artists, it is clear to see that they also show a unique style, and use the 'indie' style genre of using random objects, that do not necessarily link in with the theme of the song. From looking at a comparison between Bat for Lashes, and Florence and the Machine, I have found out, that Bat for Lashes, is much more random and individual, and even though Florence and the Machine's album is quirky and different, there is still a recurring theme throughout. The cover for this, also includes a 'heart' the same as Florence and the Machine's 'lungs', which could mean a similarity between the two artists.

This is the interior CD design for the 'Bat for Lashes' album. This inside is totally different from the outside, as it has been kept simple, and just shows the logo of the artist on the CD. I think this has been done delberately so that the main attention is for the front cover, as this is what you see straight away when looking for albums on a shelf, and the CD does not distract from this.

Images

Before designing my flat plans for my digipack, I had to think carefully about the types of images I wanted to create for me to use for this. I wanted my images to be taken in the style of the indie genre, and also in the style of Florence and the Machine. Not only would this make my digipack and video consistant, it also means that the originality of the artist is being reflected.

I had many initial ideas, when planning my digipack, and these were infuenced by some of Florence and the Machines promotional pictures. I wanted to include unusual and interesting props and themes, but also wanted to make a reference to 'you've got the LOVE', with enhanced pictures containing love hearts, and patterns for example.

When taking the pictures for my digipack, I chose a friend who I think can reflect my theme well, and also be able to act certain emotions to enhance the meaning behind the images. I also had to think about the background for my images, and the right location for creating my shots. Most of my images have been set against a plain wall, either a cream or a pink. I chose to do this because I wanted to re-difine the colours used through the costumes to make them stand out and for the colours to be one of the main focus in my pictures. I acheieve this I edited the photos, and adapted the white balance and exposure of the images to create this effect.

Storyboard

Below is the storyboard that we have created for our video. For this we have carefully thought about the shots we want to create, and have tried to show off our theme throughout this. We have also thought about where we want the camera to be situated, and how we are going to achieve this and make it the best we can.


































When planning our video, we have tried to use a range of different shots to unsure that when looking at the video the audience do not get bored. For example the first beginning shot is a low angle shot of a close up of the characters feet, the next few shots after this do not show the characters face, and it isn't till we see her arrive at work that we know what she looks like. By doing this, it makes the audience able to relate to the character, as this daily routine could be anyone.

We have also planned for this video to use a time lapse, and this is shown in shot 13. For this we intend to have a slightly longer shot, and to show the cars rushing past the main character as she goes about her day, as if time is going slowly for her, but the day is going fast.

The shots we have chosen to use, follow the character throughout her busy day, and they represent a typical persons life. For the very end shot of the video, we intend to establish the place where the set has been used, and to do this, we will show a mid shot of the characters silhouetted walking away as they make their way along Brighton Pier.

Pitch Presentation

This is the powerpoint that we created for our pitch:

http://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0B8UaqEG1C4bONmYwZDlmMDAtNDcyNy00ZjIwLWEwNzMtNmY0ZGE4ZWFiOWFh&hl=en

As part of the planning for our video idea, we had to present a pitch powerpoint analysing the different features we want to include in our video, and to try and sell this idea to a potential investor. There are a number of different things we were asked to research for our video, and these included a background to the artists we had chosen, why we had chosen this specific artist and the common conventions used in the genre style, and whether we were continuing with these conventions or taking it in a new direction. We also looked into the demografics and what magazines and media products our artist had been involved in.

All of these aspects help us to look even further into our artists, and gave us a look into exactly what we wanted to achieve, and how we plan to do this. By researching, we also learnt a lot about the artist that we didnt know before, and became more involved in the conventions used in some of her videos.

Video of our presentation:

Animatic

This is the animatic that we have created, to produce a more visual idea of what we want our video to look like. We have included all the shots from our storyboard, and have also played the music in the background, so that we know specifically when shooting our video, exactly how we want the shots to link in with the lyrics and the beat of the song. I believe that this animatic gives us a good idea of what our video will end up like, and I think we have constructed it well to give the desired result.

However, if we were to re-do this animatic: there are a few clips in the sequence that come on just slightly before the music in the song crescendos and so these would need to be slightly changed. To show a more dramatic change to the music and to highlight this change, it would be more pleasing on the audience if the shot changes as soon as the music does, and so an element of surprise is also present.

Contacting Record Company

In order to complete our music video, we have had to abide by all copyright laws and had to write an email to the music company of our artist. Therefore, we have sent an email to 'Island Records UK' to ask for their permission to use the song "You've Got the Love" by Florence and The Machine.

The email below shows this:
















Copyright is a form of intellectual property law. It protects an author or creator from his or her stuff being pirated and used without permission. Abiding by Copyright Laws, is something that many bands and artists take extremely seriously and music licensing is very important for almost any musician. "The mechanical copyright protection society (MCPS) exists to ensure that when a music CD is pressed, the writers of the works featured on the CD are paid a royalty from the pressing of it". Without Copyrighting their song, is means that it is open for any one or any artist to use, which could potentially lead to the re-recording of the song, without the artists approval. As well as having a copyright law on songs, there are also laws protecting written material, photographs and any other artist footage.

Lighting

Lighting the set is very important when creating a music video, as this is how you are going to be able to see what is going on and how you want the shots to look. There are two different types of lighting you can use, natural light - which can make the shots appear realistic and artificial light - which can be used to reinforce a specific element of the filming and can also be made to look realistic.

In college, there are basic artificial lighting equipment that are available for us to use. These are all portable and can be taken around with us when filming our music video. These include:

- 3 'red heads' of 800watts per lamp.
1. A key light: a main source of illumination: monitors the intensity/brightness of the light.
2. Fill light: crosses the key light, controls the contrast between the key light and any darker unlit areas. Can create or diffuse shadows.
3. Back light: set facing the key light and positioned high: this light separates the subject from the background and gives the shot more depth.

- 3 stands
- Spare bulbs
- Gaffer Tape
- Gloves
- Crocodile Clips
- Gels (different colours)

It is also possible for us to take out reflectors which can be used to reflect the natural light from the sun onto the subject. It can also be used to bleach out cast shadows. Before filming, it is important that all lighting is checked through the camera before recording, as it may appear different on screen to how it does in real life.

In our music video, where possible we are going to use all the available natural light sources. If this is not possible, we are going to use simple and cheaper ways of lighting our set. This may include using everyday light bulbs and lamps, Halogen garden lamps and battery powered lights when there is no electricity available. In scenes such as the flat scene, we will be using a combination of these, as there will be natural light coming in from the windows, but the main light bulb in the socket will be used to add more light to the room and to focus more on the subject.

In the nighttime scene however, we are going to have to rely on the lights around Brighton Pier and the surrounding street lamps to light our set. However, this may work for us, as we are trying to create the theme of nightlife, and having the scene slightly darker than everything else will represent this well. If we do find when shooting that the scene is too dark, then battery powered lights can be accessed to brighten it up and to focus more on the characters.

IMPORTANT

It is very important when handling any lighting equipment that you follow all safety instructions, to make sure that everything and everybody is safe and free from danger when working. This is the job of the directors of the video (us) to make sure that any actors we are using for the shoot are in safe hands, and cannot be effected by a fault in the safety of the lighting.

1. Always make sure that any loose wires are properly taped down to the floor with strong gaffer tape, this makes sure that they are not an obstacle to either the actors or the people filming.

2. Take care when handling all lights, as they may be expensive and easily breakable.

3. When lit, lights and barn doors become very hot, so it is vital that you always wear gloves to protect yourself from burning your hands.

4. Make sure that you use proper diffuser gels, as baking or tracing paper can easily catch fire due to the heat of the lights.

Health & Safety

Location: College

There are a number of health and safety procedures that we can follow whilst being in the college location, and it is important that we keep ourselves and the actors in our video safe.

Cables: it may be possible that cables and wiring coming from the lighting equipment may be trailing on the floor or placed in an area that interrupts with our filming. Therefore, it is crucial that all lighting cables are taped down securely to the floor, so that it is impossible for any accidents to occur. This will also make it much easier for us to film, as we will not to climbing over loose cables.

Confined Spaces: one of the areas we plan to film in around the college is a small office space. Therefore, because of this it is important that we clear away all un-used clutter so that there is enough room to be able to film sensibly, and not get in each others way. This is also important to create the best shot we can, and to have the right amount of space to set the camera up and to film properly.

Location: Eastbourne

After discussing in our group about practicalities, we have decided to change the location of our filming to Eastbourne instead of Brighton. We found that Eastbourne still offered us everything we needed and we plan to use the Beaches, Pier and Botanical Gardens to create the shots for our video. By changing our location it will make it much easier for us to access, and will mean that we can get much more filming done in a day after cutting out travel.

Mise-en-scene

Setting/Location:

Start: The start of our music video will be of a young, good looking girl, dressed smartly for work, coming out of her flat. We want to use this our first establishing shot, to set the scene of the video. This will show her independence and how she is a motivated focused person, despite her own personal problems and the stress that she deals with in her life. The building will be a working class block of flats, and this will be either our own personal house/flat or a friends. We have decided to use a normal working class flat, as this will appeal to all types of audience and people can easily relate to the character.




This is an ideal picture for what we have in mind for the flats to look like. We have this in mind because it is a typical everyday flat, which could be the home of anyone, and doesn't necessarily show a particular class or wealth, therefore it will make the setting easily ratable to the audience.

(this image was found on google-images)






Second Scene: The character will then get into her car and travels along the road to work. For this we will use a point of view shot, to show exactly where she is going and so we can track her journey throughout the day. After her journey, she then parks her car, and walks along the streets to work. The street we will use will be a back alley, leading to a main road in the town, and there will also be building work happening on the site that she walks past. The building site, will be a typical site, with builders either working on the road, developing a building or drain work for example. But this will depend on what building work is happening at the time and whether it fits our criteria.


This is what we have in mind for when the character passes building work on her way to work and hears the songs playing out of the radio. However, we are willing to change this idea and be flexible with this, depending on what building work is going on when we go out and film.
(this image is from google-image)



Middle: After this, the character then walks into work and gets comfortable at her desk, as she does everyday, only to see a pile of paper work left for her to do, which is then added to by her manager. The office itself will be created by ourselves, and will be within our college. This will be so that we can use desks, chairs and computers that already exist to stage an office situation. We have chosen to use a typical office layout, so that when staging it, it begins to look realistic, and the audience will notice straight away what we are trying to achieve, and can relate it to their own work experiences.

Fourth Scene: After leaving work, this section will be of the character going back to her flat after a tough day at the office. She then puts on the radio and the song is played quietly through it, as she is getting ready to go our with her friends. During this time, the buzzer for the door goes off at let times, to show more and more people arriving for the night out and to keep her company after a tiring day. The building will be the same on the outside as the first establishing shot so that the video is kept consistent and the audience can see that she home, but this time the interior of the flat will be shown in view, and this will be of one room in the flat (lounge) the colour of this room will all be white, which will highlight the colours of the costumes and make-up of the characters. The lounge will include two white leather sofas, a table in the centre of the room, a big window and a CD player situated on the left hand side of the room, as she walks into it. There will also be a TV on the opposite side of the room to give it a homely feel. Opposite the window, there will also be a canvas of a sunset on the walls (blue, orange and yellow in colour). In the room, there will also be a big mirror which the characters will use when getting ready for their night out on the town. We have decided to use all of these objects in the room, as they create an image of a typical home, and will make the filming more realistic and once again the audience can see straight away that we are creating a lounge in the flat. To film, we will be using a friends flat, and will keep most of the interior as it is.

End: The end of our video, will be of all the girls out on the streets of Brighton heading towards the pier for a wild night out after a busy day. We will be using a group of friends, plus our main girl actress. To film, we will simply be following them, as they start their night. Most of this filming will be un-staged, and we will track girls on a actual night out in Brighton. In our shots we will be using Brighton pier at night, the beaches and the promenade and Brighton surrounding as you find them.



This is what we have in mind for the interior of the lounge in the flat. We have chosen a white, plain simple looking lounge to create realism, and hopefully something that will show she is a working class girl who has her independence by living by herself, as well as having a full time stressful job.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3012/2505247838_3f0ee7503f.jpg



Costume/Make-up:

The first time we see the main character in our video, is when she first steps outside her front door and heads towards her car. At this stage, she is all ready for work and the day ahead of her. For the work scene in the video, we want to keep the frames consistent, and have the main character wearing the same thing throughout. To show this we need to use clothes which are typical for a day at the office, and to make the storyline realistic, and something that the audience can relate to. For this, we have decided to have the girl wearing a black pencil skirt, a white shirt and a pair of black work heels. We have decided to keep it simple and have her wearing black and white, so that when she is at the office, she can easily blend into the background and to have everyone else in the frame busy around her and wearing colours. This will reinforce our idea, of the character living in her own bubble at work, but then when being with her friends she comes out of her shell and can forget about her boring and stressful working life. This same costume will be warn throughout the first few scenes in the day time setting, to show that she has been at work all day, and to make each shot consistent.

The make up used at this moment in the video, also needs to reflect the character and the idea we are trying to create. To link in with the simple costume, the make up also needs to be minimal and to not stand out among other people in the frame.

However, later on in the video when the character is getting ready to go out with her friends, we have decided to create a complete contrast in the costumes. Instead of being in simple black and white, we want the character to be wearing much brighter colours that stand out, and to be wearing a style of dress that can be worn out in the evening, with a pair of heels. This will straight away let the audience know where they are heading, as this is stereotypically the type of clothing you wear when you go out on the town.

The make up at this point will also contrast the make up from earlier, to show the time of day change, and the fact that she is going out on the town. In the evening scenes, we want the make-up to be much bolder and to stand out in the frame. The reasons we want her to stand out is to link in with our initial ideas, and the fact that when the character is out and having fun with her friends, she is a different person and can forget about the other troubles in her life she may have.

The friends in this scene, also need to be wearing party style clothing and make up, so that you can distinguish between each character, but also that it shows they are a group of friends and are going out on the town together.

Props

There are a number of different props that we are going to need when shooting our music video. These include:
* car - for when she drives to work, and this will be supplied by someone in our group.
* stereo - for when she walks past the building work and hears the song playing from the radio.
* paperwork - for the office scene, and to show her hectic life.
* brief-case - as part of her working everyday clothes.
* tables and chair - to create an office style setting.
* accessories - this will include things like jewelery, belts, hand-bags to be taken out when they girls in the video are getting ready and when going out on the town in Brighton.















Use of Colour

The colour being used in our video is going to be mostly natural. This will give a sense of realism, and will help the audience to be able to connect with the video. The use of natural lighting, will help the natural colours to show, and if needed some aspects of the video will be highlighted with editing, such as the colours of the dresses and evening wear compared to the dull black and white coloured costumes used for the work scene. This will establish not only a change in the scenery, but also a change in the character of the girl in the video, to show that when she is with her friends, she opens up and is like a new person.

Images - Inspiration

There are a few images and videos that have inspired us when thinking of an initial idea for creating our music video. Theses are shown below:

This image from one of Lily Allen's video, shows a young girl sitting by herself and away from everything else that is going on around her. This is the effect that we want to create in our music video, and to show that the main character is in her own little world. I also like that way in which the image is in black and white, and this may also be an effect we use in our video, to show the contrast between a stressful day at the office, to the colours of a night on the town with your friends.

http://www.buzzinpopmusic.co.uk/files/2008/12/lily-allen.jpgsic.co.uk/files/2008/12/lily-allen.jpg

This is another image from one of Lily Allen's videos, but this time is shows a different atmosphere, and instead of showing the character by herself, it contrasts this and show her getting ready for a night on the town with her friends, and this is something we want to create in our video, and to link in with song lyrics that friends are all you need to get through a tough day.


http://img.thesun.co.uk/multimedia/archive/00844/Lily_Allen_844754a.jpg

Another inspiration for our video, has been Brighton Pier, as we thought about the ending of the video being based here, and having an establishing shot to show the location. As I have said previously, we want to create a shot of the girls walking into the distance, having a good time, and laughing and talking to one another to show the friendship they have between them.

http://www.avalancherock.co.uk/images/gallery_images/night_pier.jpg

The two pictures below are taken from the Florence and the Machine official website. http://florenceandthemachine.net/ Both these pictures have helped reinforce the ideas behind our video, and gave us inspiration to what we want to achieve.

This image reinforces the theme of our initial ideas as the character in this image (Florence) is very withdrawn from everything that is happening around her, and whereas the two sitting either side of her seem to be busy and getting on with things, the character in the middle seems to be in her own world. This is something that we want to create for the office scene in our video, and to have other characters rushing around and getting on with their jobs, whereas our main character will appear distant, and will show in her body movements and actions that she is stressed and has a lot to do at once.

This image is also of Florence herself, and has influenced us when storyboarding our idea, to create a mirror shot of the reflections of the main character and her friends. We will place the camera slightly to the right to get a really good shot of the characters getting ready and looking at themselves in the mirror as they do so.

Video Analysis

Dog Days are Over is one of Florence and the Machines newer releases, and adopts some of the common conventions used by "indie" bands, and artists, and through the video brings out the quirky personality of Florence Welsh. From looking at the video, it is clear that Florence has used very abstract ideas when creating it, and the video does not necessarily link in with the theme of the song, (similarly to her other videos.)

Dog Days are Over is a very unusual video, and contains random prop, costume and set ideas, to link in with her original style, and you never quite know what to expect next.Colour is a major convention of this video, and certain aspects of colour stand out throughout the video. The video begins in a woods, where the colours are very dull and grey, but there are hints of colour through the bunting of flags that are wrapped around the tree. The main focus of the video is on Florence, and as she journey's through the woods, we as an audience can see some of the strange things she comes across on her journey. The use of colour is also apparent through the costumes, and when she suddenly meets tribal warriors that begin to chase her, the colours of their dramatic make-up and clown-like clothing stand out from the clip. To me, not only are the colours used for a visual affect, but they also may be used to separate the characters. For example, Florence in the video, may not be allowed where she is, and so the colours of the warriors reinforce the fact that she doesn't belong , and is different from them, as she is simply wearing black and white clothing.

A bit further on in the video, she falls, and suddenly we see her thoughts. She dreams of being one of the warriors, and the video shows them dancing, and having fun. For this her make up and clothing drastically changes and becomes much more outgoing and extravagant. She also adopts the clothing warn by the 'warriors' and this is a clown-like bright coloured suit,

From what I have previously said, it is obvious to see that the Florence and the Machine videos are very abstract, and from clowns, warriors and flags, it shows that her style and quirkiness is very individual, and whenever you hear her voice, or see her videos, it is immediately obvious to the viewer who you are listening to.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGrx6etMl0w

Bat for Lashes‟, is another "indie-rock" style artist, that incorporates the quirky and unusual costumes, props and sets that some indie artists choose to adopt. Like Florence and the Machine, she does not use a narrative behind her lyrics, and in some cases the video seems to have no actual reference to the song. 'Pearls Dream' is the song I have chosen to analyse, as not only does it show the originality of the artist, but it contrast with 'Dog Days are Over'.

The video is staged on an actual stage, as if the performance was being shown to an audience. The artist is wearing a unitard style clothing, underneath a huge fur coat, to represent wings. There is a clear themes of the universe and space running through this video, but I am still unsure how this theme links in with the song. This shows one of the common conventions used for "indie" style music videos, where the song and the video are not related.

Unlike Florence and the Machine, the use of colour is minimal, but a few aspects of colour are highlighted later on in the video, when the artist fly's across the screen reaching for the planets. Before this, the colours are grey and dull coloured, which represents the mood of the fog surrounding her, which to me may represents the feeling of isolation and wanting to be somewhere your not.

The props used in this video, are Planets which have been hung on the ceiling, and a wolf. The theme of the wolf is recurring, as near the end of the video, special visual effects have been used to create the idea of the shape of a wolf being made out of stars in the sky.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ek3coSedm7o

Initial Ideas

After discussing in our group, we have decided to base our music video around a specific character, and this is going to be a young girl going through her daily routine. We have decided to use actors in our video, and have decided on specific qualities that we want the girl to have. These are: a good group of friends, high profile demanding job and for her to be pretty and attractive. We also want her to be a plain everyday girl who tries hard at work and lives a normal life, just like most people in society. By making her an everyday girl, this also makes her easy to relate to and her story could easily link in with the audience and to make the video realistic.

Our initial ideas, is to track the girl throughout her day. Starting with her getting up in the morning, getting ready, and driving to work. From there, we want to show her having a stress filled day, and having to cope with a lot of things at once, such as her boss giving her a huge pile of paper work for example, and dumping it on her desk for her to do. We have also thought about keeping the characters in the office silent, and having a more gestural scene, instead of people talking in the video. Instead of this, we want the silence of the characters to show how the girl is in her own world, and in her own little bubble, away from everything else that is happening around her and all the stress that is happening in her life. During this time, we want the lyrics of the song to be playing quietly in the background. After filming the office scene, we then want to track her travelling home, and getting ready for a night on the town with her closest girlfriends, and using this time to forget about the stresses in her life, and to relax and enjoy her time with her friends. This scene will link in with the song lyrics, and would bring across our theme of having your friends by your side, and using them as a release to get you through your day.

Another idea that we have thought of to use in the video, is to have the song featured constantly throughout her day. For example, when she is driving to work, it could begin by her humming the tune of the song out loud and then she could start singing the lyrics quietly to herself, as if the song has been stuck in her head. From then, we also had to idea of her turning on the radio and for the song to be quietly playing in the background.



This is the shot we want to create when featuring the song constantly throughout the characterst day, and this will be at the beginning of the video, when the character is heading for a day at the office.




Another time where the music could be played is when she had parked up her car and is heading towards her work, and as she passes a building site for example, the builders have the radio tuned in, and as soon as she walks past the song begins to play and we start to hear it gradually build up in the background. By featuring the song throughout the day, it starts to set the scene and shows that this song is setting her up for her day until she can get home and chill out with her friends and forget about her stressful day. Finally, the last time the music will be featured is when she is out on the town with her friends and the song is played in the clubs and bars that they go to together, and this time we hear the song in full as it now becomes the central part of the video.

We have decided to choose Brighton as our central location. This is because there is always a lot going on in Brighton, and therefore we can try and create the idea of everything going on around our character but for her to be in the day, isolated from the world, and in her own bubble. We can also use the main view points in Brighton town such as the beaches and the pier to get some really nice camera shots throughout the video and to try and set the scene. We also had the idea of ending the video with a view of the pier at night, and to have the group of girls silhouetted in the dark walking into the distance, with the lights on the pier framing the scene and for the camera to slowly pan out from the girls to show the surroundings.

In our planning we have also thought about some of the effects we want to create from the camera, to make the video visually interesting for the audience. We would like to create a time lapping sequence, of either, the clouds passing by above the character and to show the time of day change, the tide travelling in and out along the beach or cars whizzing fast past her as she is standing in her own bubble and oblivious from everything else around her. We believe that this will make the video look really effective and interesting as well as it linking into our initial key ideas. To do this we would have to leave the camera to run for 24hours on a specific spot and to then edit in the time changing afterwards by quickening it up.

Planning

After discussing in my group what song we were going to choose for our video, we decided to use the cover version of 'You've Got the Love' performed by Florence and the Machine, originally created by Candi Staton. The reason why we chose this particular song was because Florence is an up to date new performer, but by using a well recognised older song, she has made it her own style and used her quirky style to make the song different from any other recording done previously. This song also gives us the opportunity to create a narrative behind the lyrics, and to produce more of a story, instead of having someone mouthing the lyrics to the camera, as many videos do. Song Lyrics: 'You've Got the Love'

Below are the song lyrics for the Florence and the Machine cover of 'You've Got the Love'. The The theme behind the song is of upliftment and empowerment. Lyrically being about an unfailing love for us all, even though we regularly fail ourselves: "Lord I just don't care but you've got the love to see me through". However, we have chosen to base the idea of the lyrics around a different theme, and are planning on using the lyrics to represent friendship and how after a tough day, friends are the people we choose and who can help us get through the bad times and forget about the day and to just have fun and relax. We rely on our friends to lift our spirits.


Lyrics

Sometimes I feel like throwing my hands up in the air,
I know I can count on you,
Sometimes I feel like saying "Lord I just don't care"
But you've got the love I need To see me through,

Sometimes it seems that the going is just too rough
And things go wrong no matter what I do
Now and then it seems that life is just too much,
But you've got the love I need to see me through

When food is gone you are my daily meal
When friends are gone I know my savior's love is real
Your love is real,

You got the love
You got the love
You got the love
You got the love
You got the love
You got the love

Time after time I think "Oh Lord what's the use?"
Time after time I think it's just no good
Sooner or later in life, the things you love you loose
But you got the love I need to see me through

You got the love
You got the love
You got the love
You got the love
You got the love
You got the love

Sometimes I feel like throwing my hands up in the air
I know I can count on you
Sometimes I feel like saying "Lord I just don't care"
But you've got the love I need to see me through

You got the love
You got the love
You got the love
You got the love
You got the love
You got the love



This is the Florence and the machine album cover, and

after planning and story boarding our music video, the song we have chosen 'You've Got the Love' has recently been released. However, before this was released we had already decided exactly what we wanted to do and the themes and ideas behind our video had been established. Therefore, we have not been influenced by the actual video in any way.

Introduction

The aim of this year is to create a 'promo pack', which will include a music video based on a chosen song, a DVD cover and an advertisement in the style of a poster. All of these aspects have to link in with a certain theme, so that they join together and can be easily recognised.We will be working in groups to make the video, and we will have to decide on a song that we want it to be based on. In our groups we will be asked to plan exactly what we want to achieve and how we are going to achieve this, as well as drafting out our initial ideas and choosing actors and locations for our music video to be filmed in.