Location List

Location List

 1. Bedroom I decided to use my bedroom at my grandmas for the first verse and second. The bedroom is large so it is ideal for setting up a tripod. The walls are cream and pink, these light colours means the bedroom is a light room as in my video the brighter is it the less 'noise' that is shown on the video. The bedroom also has a vintage and girly theme to it which I thought looks nice for the mise-en-scene. It also has sky lights above the mirror which I wanted to use in the bridge part of the song. There are also fairy lights wrapped around the headboard which I wanted to use in the first verse.

 2. Kitchen The kitchen at my grandmas is large so I can get medium-long shots, it also has sky lighting in-case I need extra lights. For the kitchen scene I wanted the main character sat down at the work bench and the other girl to be dancing around her having fun, but from the image we can see that they don't seem to be in the same 'place' or mind-set.

 3. Outdoor, Back garden I wanted a muddy setting for this scene where the artist can wipe mud on their face and dig their hands into the mud. Because I have a pet pig who has dug up the garden a bit the bottom of my garden was ideal for this scene. Also as it is winter months while I'll be filming I needed to pick a location where the actors can go inside quickly because of the cold.

Audience Research

I created a survey to my audience which will help me gather data on people's opinions and thoughts relating to music videos. 

https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/SQRDJNL


Response:

Survey: Audience Research from Georgina Fenton

Storyboard

Cinematography

Before filming I researched cinematography techniques which helped develop my story board as it gave me an idea of the different shots available to me. It also gave me chance to practice shooting with the camera, for example, shooting extreme close-up's I could get a sense of how zoomed in the camera could go. It gave me insight into which what shots were appropriate and which wasn't.

Initial Ideas

1. My first idea was to focus on narrative and have two main characters. In the story the 'performer' (girl one) seems to be having a unstable relationship with girl two. Girl one is unable to see why girl two would love someone like herself, because she has this mindset her automatic reaction is to push her away and not accept any love from her. This process will be shown in the two different verses, in the first one girl one will smother girl two as a way of 'blocking' her out. This would be a bedroom scene. The next  verse would be set in a kitchen, girl two is cooking or baking and 'dancing' and 'singing' in the kitchen to girl one, she will appear to be having a good time however girl one will be sat looking 'disconnected' from the 'fun' and 'enjoyment' and instead seems frustrated with herself and the other girl as she cannot understand why girl two likes her. The chorus will be set in a muddy garden and have girl one performing (lip-syncing) the effect of the mud is to show 'inside her mind' and get a visual look at the 'darkness' she describes in the song. At the end I plan on showing girl two to 'break through' to girl one who finally accepts her love and herself. I plan to show this through the 'bridge' part of the song where girl two will remove and wipe away any mud on girl one's face to show she is 'removing the doubt' at the end I intend to have the 'ends' to the two verse sequences in which the first one will end with girl two removing the pillow she was 'smoothered' with and hugging the other girl, the kitchen scene will end with girl two wrapping her arms around girl one to show safety. The final scene will be the two girls laid 'head to head' and for the final chorus the lipsync will change from girl one to girl two. .

2. My second idea was to go for a more abstract concept with no narrative or particular meaning. This would be mostly done with artistic intentions where I planned to use elements such as, water, paint, dye, flowers, crushed makeup and other pieces. I would then use effects like slow-motion, reversing the video and time-lapse to create visually appealing and interesting shots. This would give me a lot of freedom with the types of filming and editing I could use. However when making an abstract video it has to keep the audience’s attention and has to be visually appealing as there is no storyline to become involved in the audience have to like what they are seeing. Also I would have to consider how many different shots and different 'elements' I would need as the beat is quite fast therefore my edits would be quick, to keep the audiences interest I would want a variety of abstract shots.

3. My third idea was to focus on the performance side of the video. This would include having the main artist lip-sync to the song, for this I would create a bright and 'funky' image for my artist as the song is quite upbeat. I would also look to put a dance performance into the video; this would be two of my friends who have done dance all their life. I intend to not only show a dance but create one which tells a bit of a story whether love or acceptance. However the video would not have much of a narrative story to follow as I wanted to stick to the video being about the artist’s image and the dance performance. For this idea I would use lots of different outfits and 'looks' for the main artist, I would experiment with makeup, glitter and generally outlandish 'get-ups'. This would be to grab the audience’s attention, also regular background and outfit changes would keep the audience’s attention.

Textual Analysis Video 2

Hypnotic by Zella Day is under the alternative/indie pop category, the same genre of my chosen song and the music video I analysed in my other textual analysis.
The music video does have a western theme to it, this is reinforced by the mise-en-scene through location and costumes. Throughout the video this theme is reinforced although the song isn't a country song so therefore we see a genre cross-over. The initial start of the song sounds similar to the 'cowboy standoff' tune which is played in films when there are two characters having a stand-off.
In the beginning we see an over the shoulder shot from the back of the girl in the car (0.5) The effect of this cinematography brings the audience into the car with her as we can see things from her point of view as we are looking past her shoulder out of the dash board. Outside it is just a horizon however in the next shot after her car breaks down (0.12) we are put back in the same position and see a figure, we are seeing this from her point of view so are unaware who it is.

The next shot is a long-distance establishing shot where we see her car and a man on a horse in front of her. It appears like a 'stale-mate' or standoff situation, like mentioned above with the western theme reinforced. I think in this shot it is key to look at the mise-en-scene. Her car is black and his horse is white, however he is dressed in all black. Black is normally associated with villains and evil and white is seen as a pure, innocent and good colour. As he is dressed in black we may assume he is a villainous character however the white horse could make us uncertain in this so at this point the audience may feel confused about whether they trust him or not. We see the stereotypical western items, the bull horns on the front of the car, the cowboy hat, the horse and the cowboy boots. When she gets out of the car we see she is dressed in all black, she wraps a fur coat around her but once she reaches the horse and the man she drops it. This could signify that she is letting go of any protection and revealing herself to him. When she gets out of the car a shot is shown of the horse and man, the camera zooms out, it then changes to her as she puts her coat on and zooms in on her face. This zoom suggests that she is focused on the man and is desiring him. The audience is brought into her face and we can see her smile confirming that the other view was probably her point of view. It can also show how the man sees her and how she sees him.
When he carries her into the tent it is dark and the tent cloth appears slightly red, this could suggest that he doesn't have good intentions or there is danger inside the tent.

When the chorus starts Zella performs and lip-syncs to the song, this is a convention of alternative pop because it means the artist is selling their song through performance and the audience may be more engaged. In the narrative she is also the main character which does conform to the conventions of having the artist as the main character and performer. This is so that the attention and all focus is on the artist and it helps them to sell and create their star image.  This is similar to Melanie Martinez's video as she performs and lip-syncs whilst also being the main character in the narrative. When creating my own alternative pop video this is a convention I will consider as I think it is useful to reinforce the artist's image. [Picture insert]

The lighting used in the video shows how perspective of lighting can really be used to show someones emotions or how we perceive them. When the shot is directly on Zella the lighting circles around her face highlighting different parts of it. Here are some examples how in the same shot she appears differently:

The cinematography while she is lip-syncing shows aerial shots however they are moving to create this idea of hypnoses, which is the title of the song. The lighting also reinforces this with the various colours, creating moods and feelings for the audience.

With both videos they use video footage which appeared to be slowed down, this gives a smooth look to the video and there is more chance to show the narrative develop and give people time to understand it. When she is climbing onto the horse this is used, her movements seem to be slower than perhaps hopping onto a horse would normally be, this exaggerates the movements. In carousel it is also used when she is on the carousel in the bridge part of the song, the slow motion shows her struggle.

Textual Analysis Video 1

Carousel is an alternative pop music video and song. Performed by Melanie Martinez it is part of her first album Cry Baby. It was first released on her Dollhouse EP and the second music video she released. The song is based on the character Melanie created, 'Cry Baby' and her first love. She wanted it to be magical to capture those first love feelings, and yet still express the dark side of how toxic a one-sided relationship was. The music video does match the idea and images of the song lyrics which for alternative pop videos can be commonly the case. I'm going to do a textual analysis on the video as it is under the same genre as the song which I am looking to produce a music video for. We can analyse a video in terms of LIIAR: Language, institution, ideology, audience and representation. For my textual analysis I am going to focus on the four key areas, editing, cinematography, sound and mise-en-scene.

When we first see Melanie a long-shot is used to establish the scene she is in and show is her as a character. We can see from here her costume and surroundings. By showing this we can see how the rule of thirds is applied. at one side is blue lighting and at the other pink, she is in the middle of the shot. Possibly this could be showing the pink/blue gender stereotypes that she is in the middle of being herself and falling in love with a boy. Her posture makes her appear very 'lost' and confused. She is looking around like she is out of her depth. Her costume is very girly and makes her appear innocent and child-like (the big bow in hair and frilly socks) This portrays her as an vulnerable character. However looking at her hair, half is black and half is blue, the darkness of these colours could depict something darker about the situation or about the character.
At the beginning we see the editing of the horses in the carousel flashing, carousels are associated with the fun fair and children, having the quick flashes and dark background makes the audience feel unnerved and that there is a darker edge to the music video. The horses are lit up blue which could symbolize the male gender or connote sadness, coldness.

In this scene she is looking into a fun house mirror, the editing has duplicated the image and copied it onto the other side. This is effective as it confirms the idea that she is in a fun house, it also shows possible delusion, confusion and mystery from the 'warped' image. The lighting also adds to this image because it is dominantly pink/purple it sets a dark tone which matches the tune of the song.
Editing is used to make Melanie appear like she is 'floating' and chasing the man. The way this is used creates the idea that she has no control over where she is going but she is attracted to him and naturally follows him. Normally when you walk your feet go first however since her head and arms are first it shows how may not be thinking straight and is compelled to follow and reach out to what she wants.  

The editing here shows the man on the left fade out as she says 'It's like you disappear, where'd you go?' Which matches the lyrics. Also I like the effect of the fading out of him but the rest of the scene is the same, for my music video I am potentially looking at doing a similar edit in one of my scenes.  

In the carousel scene we can see that it relates directly to the lyrics with the song describing love as going 'round and round like a carousel' in the previous scene a ticket was offered to her. Now she is on the ride and he is stood in front of her, no matter how long they went on it for he would always be out of reach. The camera shows close-ups of her face and his while they are on here to show the emotion, she is almost speaking to him however his reaction shows that he isn't giving her anything back.

A close-up shows her hands bound in this scene. The colour of the rope, red, suggests love or danger or even both.This is because red is commonly connoted with these. The ropes show how she is stuck on the 'ride' in this case to him, she cannot leave him as she's fallen in love with him. 'Why did you steal my cotton candy heart'. Another theme of the idea of 'fun fair' with the 'cotton candy' there are also two girls on the carousel who are shown to be eating cotton candy. Throughout this song the lyrics commonly are matched in the imagery.

There is diagonal shot used in this image, it is part of a montage showing other diagonal shots and quick paced editing. This gives the audience a sense of unnerving and a dystopian feel. It has also changed the theme of editing where the bridge (or middle eight) occurs in the song. The bridge is the part where a conclusion or outcome of the narrative is generally shown and gives the audience time to reflect on the story. This is shown in the music video as we are beginning to see the ending to the story that she is stuck on the act of loving him and 'You threw it in this damned coin slot' gives the audience the idea that he was careless with her heart.
At the end of the bridge she throws up a pink luminous liquid. This shows how she feels like the love is making her physically sick a similar feeling to that of riding on a 'carousel' for so long that it makes you feel sick. It is almost like the video has been leading up to this point throughout the video, developing the idea that she is falling for this guy and eventually it has overwhelmed her.
The lighting changes after this point and the fun-fair lights have gone out. She is alone and gets off the ride looking around. The lighting is dark and has a blue tone, the lighting makes the audience feel as though she is lost and alone from the darkness. The blue can show a 'cold' and depressing feeling to the fair and her situation.The change of lighting to darkness reflects the creepy fairground theme which has been reoccurring throughout the song. Perhaps this shows a metaphor that love isn't always rosy and 'fun' there are dark parts to it and in her case there is.

In terms of editing the video uses a mixture between slow-motion edits and speeding up the shot. By creating a slower image it allows the audience more time to take in the narrative and see what is happening. From 2.55 onwards we can see that by slowing down the clip it emphasises how she is stuck. Slow motion can also be used to create a visual effect, throughout the video clips of fairground rides are used in slow motion, the fact the rides are empty gives a 'creepy' and 'disturbed' look. It is also aesthetically pleasing for the audience to see the mise-scene of the rides and location.

Overall the lyrics and the video match very well, the way it is presented is engaging and colourful. It does follow the conventions of alternative pop, we see the bright costumes which she wears including pinks, purples, high heels. All her clothing items are quite bold along with her make-up and hair appearance which makes her stand out. It follows the conventions that the narrative is the same in the lyrics and the video. Lip-syncing is also regularly used in alternative pop videos, throughout this video in some scenes it develops the narrative without her lip-syncing and in others she does lip-sync. There is also a performance part in the song where she is directly lip-syncing to the camera and not taking part in the narrative. These elements are what I can consider as I am creating my own alternative pop video. Therefore I will have to consider the structure when it comes to showing the story, lip-syncing and performing.
Close-ups show Melanie throughout the song which draw to her as the main focus and character, commonly in alternative pop videos there is lots of attention drawn to the artist and the appearance of them. We can see this in Carousel as Melanie's style as an artist is shown throughout the video and we see her as an image. This is always shown across all her videos as she has quite an unique style.