Music video images- GENERIC STILLS~ Florence and the machine

The stills below are generic and have connotations of emotions for the music. The colours are warm and display the genre of indie or hippy, and the fabrics and style of clothing represent a vintage theme. The stills are useful for my music video as the genre is similar.

I like how the sunshine reflects into the mise-en-scene, thus would like to capture this element and effect into the production of my music video. I want the sunshine to be reflected over the main character when he is biking past the open fields. This will show a characteristic of the folk genre through the showing the countryside in nostalgia etc. Also it will emphasise the lyrics of the song, of time passing.

If I were to film in black and white I would like to have many close-ups of the main character being metaphorically engulfed in nature. The colouring will reflect the time period I want to portray. For example in the shot below, the male figure is wearing a hat which is originally from the 18th century which could convey the shot to be from any era. The ambient lighting is a convention of the indie music genre conveying idyllic imagery.

The soft colouring in the shots portray a summer's day, and conveys the emotions of love. The soft colouring would be useful for the production of my music video as it will convey the love between the two characters- craig and imogen. It will also show how even though friendships may end it can be a natural process and a positive happy one.


The above shot recreates the romantic era through the clothing + the elegant movements of the women. The location shows the convention of folk and the acoustic guitar is an iconic object of the genre.

shots from the production of the music video

The above shot has naturalistic lighting and is of the main character in the midst of singing. What strikes me about the shot is the facial expression of Craig. It makes him stand out from the photo as the non-direct eye contact doesnt immediately attract the audience but it displays him to be in mid-thought. This makes the shot more realistic to the audience. It also displays characteristic of the genre and could be made into the front cover the digipak. The front cover of Eva Cassidy's CD cover "Eva by heart" present her facially turning away but her body language is facing fowards this is similar to the shot of Craig.

The second shot shows the time reference through the bright lighting. Craig's facial expression conveys the happy tones in the song and also make the audience feel relaxed. He is turing towards the camera but not fully and the position he is sitting in draws the audience in and is non-aggressive.

Storyboard ideas.

The beginning shots of Craig in the field represent the genre as country folk and the guitar is a characteristic of acoustic rock. The mis-en-scene will set the scene of the video as calm and relaxed.

The shots on the beach will carry the natural look of the video, and make it authentic and hopefully realistic as all types of audiences will have been to the beach. Also it conveys the genre of folk through not being self-absorbant as both locations are free. This contrasts to other genres such as R'n'B and hip-hop which is about self-worth and showing off a materialistic lifestyle.

The shots at a house party will represent the intended age of the audience as teenage; through the characteristics of the people at the party and the style of it- outside garden party with fairy lights.

The bike ride sequence should engage the audience through the direct eye contact from the main character and the medium panning shots making the audience feel an intimate insight into the character's emotions.

The shots of the picnic will detach the audience to see the "bigger picture" and understand how the other on-screen characters maybe feeling through the narrative of "loss in friendships and relationships"

• The main character Craig is biking away from his past. On his bike ride he is reflecting on what happened over summer.
• He sings in the field to engage the audience and make it more of an intimate insight into his life.
• When looking back into the past it is mainly positive through the facial expressions of the characters which displays how his past was happy but things change and some friendships/relationships never last and things must come to an end. This will be shown the party sequence which alternates between Craig being there and then it's just the other characters.
• The focus being mainly on Craig and Imogen make it appear there was a past relationship between them which no longer exists and imagery of Imogen without Craig suggest she has moved on but it isn't a negative image.
• Craig bikes away, and decides that life is full of different situations and people and you never know what is head of you.

Shooting schedule Draft:

September shooting schedule:
Wednesday 15th- shooting bike ride in Postwick.
Tuesday 21st- extended shooting bike ride in Postwick.
Saturday 25th- shooting the bike ride around Brundall.
Tuesday 28th- reshoot the bike ride around Brundall.

October shooting schedule:
Tuesday 5th- shooting craig playing guitar on the bench in the field, and on the grass
Wedneday 14th- shooting craig playing guitar in the field
Monday 18th- shooting outside The Playhouse.
Wednesday 27th- shooting the outside of The Playhouse scene.

November shooting schedule:
Thursday 4th- shooting inside The Playhouse sequence
Tuesday 9th-shooting inside The Playhouse scenes
Thursday 25th- shooting inside the bus sequence

December shooting schedule:
Thursday 9th- shooting the outside sequence of Imogen and Matt at The Playhouse.

storyline

The basic storyline in my music video:


Things in life come and go, you just have to experience it and let it happen. Don't dwell on things in the past, be ready for the future and all it holds without clinging onto the past in reminiscent. To remember the good parts but also why things changed and things happen for a reason, "it just wasn't meant to be".

Look at how new music videos are reflecting real life situations engaging the audience to show that everyone experiences it and you can move on to happier times from difficult moments.

There is so much to experience in the world so there is no point sitting around doing nothing, think of the future and what you want to do with your life i.e - travelling, working, getting married and having a family, meeting new people in new places.

location ideas:

I have specifically chosen my main location for the shooting of the music video which is a field in Postwick; as it is a place of tranquility for myself and my friend Craig. We often go on bike rides around Postwick as it is situated closely where we both live. I want to include these locations into the production of the music video as they are a conventional image for the acoustic folk genre. It also makes the production more personal hopefully making it more relatable to the indended audience.

The locations make the narrative of the music video more clear; the field depicts a vivid imagery of summer whereas the shots of the bike ride portrays the "ride of life" and the journey the main character goes through.

Below is a location shot, which looks similar to the field I have chosen to film in. I have used this photo as it has a very relaxed atmosphere and gives a positive connotation of the countryside. In the music video there will be clips of him singing and playing the quitar in a location which looks similar.

I like the picture below, as it reminds me of when I lived in Cumbria. The picture creates an idyllic portrayal of a warm summers day. The grass is vibrantly green showing it is full of life and therefore connotes happiness. However in the above photo the field has just been harvested showing the end of a season and life in the field.

Other than the shots of Craig singing and playing guitar in the field I want to have shots of him spending time with his friends and partically Imogen. There is going to be deeper narrative of not only friendship but also relationships and it will suggest a past relationship between the two characters. I will focus more on Imogen and there will be shots of her and another guy suggesting she has moved on and so should Craig. This will be told through Craig biking.

The above photos are from "Skins" I really like the shots as it is as if the audience is following the two characters. I want this aspect in my music video as I want it to be not only a personal journey for Craig but also for the audience. I want the audience to feel an intimate insight of Craig's life and feel like they are there going through it with him and want the insight to be a positive one.

ARTIST PROFILE:

I have found an unsigned artist to use for my G324 Music Promo. The artist is called Tom sutcliffe. He is a solo acoustic singer, and is currently unsigned. I found his music on an unsigned british band website whilst browsing last minute for new bands as I had already set on a band called "dead silence", however as soon as I heard the song "cigarettes" by Tom Sutcliffe, I knew that it was the song to use. Despite the title of the song, the song has a calm melody and Tom has a soulfull voice.




I decided to use an acoustic song for my music video because I am interested in the genre and what conventions it may have. It isnt one of my favourite genres but i'd like to make a music video using the conventions applied to acoustic music and make a what looks like genuine story making it personal to the target audience.


Even though summer is now ending, the song will partly show summer and the "hippy" culture; however it will show summer moving onto autumn and new things that come with time which links into the lyrics and the story in the video.



I went to Latitude this year, and the relaxed atmosphere is something I want to apply to my music video. The feeling that it doesn't matter where life may take you, you just have to enjoy the ride and don't fall off before you get on it.


I want the video to reflect the song as positive even if the lyrics are sad, its upbeat and looks on the bright side of difficult situations.


That is why I think it will be good to show the passing of summer to autumn showing new things happen and time changes and so do people, but the changes don't necessarily have to be negative and unharmonious.

clothing ideas for the music video:

WOMEN'S FASHION IDEAS FOR THE CLOTHING IN THE MUSIC VIDEO:

1) Denim jeans: this item of clothing is iconic of the rock and roll genre and grunge style.


2) Floral print: this connotes an imagery of summer, and "the summer of love- 1967" which characterises the "hippy" social group.

3) Patterned or designed cotton jumper/ cardigan: this originates from the "country" style and is becoming quite a mainstream fashion item.

MEN'S FASHION IDEAS FOR THE CLOTHING IN THE MUSIC VIDEO:

1) Shirt over a top: this represents a casual look, and is stereotypical for the alternative genre of rock and indie.

2) Head scarf: it is a style convention originating from the "hippy" social group, and currently conveys a chilled care-free approach.

3) Blazer jacket: Jeff Buckley is wearing a velvet blazer which shows his creative attitude towards the genre of rock.

4) Lumberjack shirt: Connotes rock and roll with a attitude of freedom. However it is part of mainstream fashion making it less grungy.

ideas for the music video and genre themes:

A CHECKLIST FOR THE MUSIC VIDEO:

1)Live footage of the band performing at a gig or festival; this represents the genre of music and engages the audience with a personal close distance view of the band, which would make the video more realistic due to real-life audience reactions. 2)Scenery associated with the music genre; folk music= countryside, and R'n'B= urban areas. The culture is represented through the genre of music; punk clothes are shown as sign of rebellion against the norm in society; black clothing conveys this attitude. 3)Stereotypes represent social groups which are identifiable to the audience. The grunge genre is reflected not only through the music but through the clothing; flannel shirts, converse trainers and looking generally unkempt. "Punks" tend to be middle class whereas "chavs" tend to be working-class. The term "chav" was given when the working- class started wearing Burberry which was stereotyped with the middle class. 4)Inspiration for the genre of music and for possible narrative ideas look into films of famous musicians; "I'm not there" (Bob Dylan), "Control" (Joy Division) focusing on the controversial aspects of their lives: drugs, affairs, suicide etc. 5)Look at the "Kings" of the music industry- Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson and how the most creative musicians died earlier in their lives; "the candle which burns the brightest goes out the quickest". 6)Advertise the genre using the conventions needed to promote the video to a partular audience; a guitar is an object which characterises rock music. The genre of music chosen is "acoustic". The genre has a wide range of conventions and I am looking into Indie acoustic and acoustic folk music. To understand the genre better I looked into the aspects of the genre that needs to be addressed in the music video.

1. Look at fashion of the genre and stereotypes:

When looking at the genre of music and the sterotypes, look at the what it represents i.e. love and nostalgia- through the possible colours of clothing (romantic clothing), the ambience and lighting (natural and romantic- sunsets, and sunrise~ new day and positive outlook in life), and the people. In the acoustic genre people link acoustic music to busker's, university students, or possibly older generations who lived through the generation of jazz and classical music.

2. The culture of the genre:

When looking into the culture of the genre, I will use aspects of the "Indie" social group. This is because currently in the music industry there are a few mainstream chart topping bands which are promoting factors of the acoustic genre; Florence and the Machine, The XX, Vampire Weekend, Two door cinema club and Mumford and sons. These bands are a modern mixture of indie math, indie rock, folk, and pop acoustic.

^ Paolo Nutini- candy.

3. Artists which perform more than one genre of music:

Some artists whom perform other genres of music (i.e. Paolo Nutini) also produce some acoustic songs, (Paolo Nutini-"Candy"). Most of the videos have a calm atmosphere, representing a happy idyllic lifestyle.

4: Recognisable artists of the genre chosen:

Some of the successful acoustic music musicians have inspired the current music, such as Eva Cassidy; folk acoustic, Johnny Cash; country acoustic, gospel, and Jeff Buckley; soft rock and indie acoustic