Go Pro Practise

Today during our double lesson we decided to rent out the Go Pro for the first time so we would know how to use it during production. Below is the footage that we got from the Go Pro.

Music Video Inspiration

We have been looking at music videos that are already out there for inspiration. Here are some examples of music videos that we like and are planning to take inspiration from:

1. Know No Better - Major Lazer, Travis Scott, Camila Cabello and Quavo

This is both an R&B/Electronic dance and narrative music video which first caught our intention. What we really liked about this music video was the narrative which is similar to our own. The visuals and continuing contrast between the two different lives of the boy (his real life and idealised) was really effective in provoking emotion. We are shown a sort of day in the life of the boy in both his real life and his idealised life in which he is going through an awkward adolescent phase consisting of morning routines, bullying at school but he dreams of being a backup dancer for Major Lazer. The vide itself features Camila Cabello, Travis Scott and Major Lazer members.



2. What Lovers Do - Maroon 5 and SZA

Although less similar and applicable to our current ideas for our music video, this video for 'What Lovers Do' by Maroon 5 and SZA we really liked due to the amazing visuals. Although we really liked this video, the visuals look very complex and would be hard for us to achieve so we most likely won't be taking much inspiration from this music video in terms of the visuals however we may experiment with using simple visuals and a green screen for parts of the music video.



3. 1-800 - Logic ft. Alessia Cara and Khalid

This is the original music video for the song that we have chosen to use for our music video. The narrative of the original music video was what caught our attention in particular; it is one about the life of a teenage boy who struggles with being accepted due to his sexuality. The music video also brings attention to mental health problems which we wanted to take inspiration from. The lyrics of the song and the visuals in the music video have a strong link which we also think it very effective. From this music video we will probably get inspiration from the fact that it brings attention to the issues of mental health and the strong links between visuals and lyrics that we would like to achieve in our own music video.

Job Roles - Abi

Before we start filming for our music video it is important that we know who is doing what during production to avoid confusion that could waste time but also so that everyone knows what they need to do in order for production to be successful.

Cast

As I said previously in the treatment, the music video will feature two main characters which will be played by Becky and Allanah. As the names of the characters won't be mentioned in the music video we will just call them Girl 1 and Girl 2 for reference. Becky will be playing Girl 1 (the sad one) and Allanah will be playing Girl 2 (the happy one).

Screenwriter

As it's a music video and the only dialogue will be the lyrics of the song, we don't need someone to fill this role.

Production Designer

We will all be working together to take on this role of production designer which will include setting up locations in preparation for filming.

Props Organiser

I will be taking on the role of prop organiser, making sure that all props are available and in our possession ready for filming.

Costume and Makeup Designers

Allanah and Becky will be in charge of costume and makeup design for not only their own characters but our other characters as well.

Camera Operator 

I will have the role of camera operator which will include shooting the footage itself and making sure all things to do with the camera and filming are successful.

Editors

We will all be working together during the editing process which will include putting the footage together, adding text and transitions, music and any other effects we might require.

Risk Assessments and Contingency Plans - Becky

Production Schedule - Abi

Shot List - Allanah

Storyboard - Allanah

Treatment Feedback

We all did the treatment feedback individually so these can be found on our individual blogs which can be found below:

Allanah's Blog

Becky's Blog

Abi's Blog

Treatment

Treatment Outline

We have chosen to use the song 1-800 by Logic feat. Alessia Cara and Khalid and the genre is R&B. Our target audience is teenagers and young adults and our main characters will be two teenage girls played by Becky and Allanah. Since we have decided to produce a narrative style music video, it will be linear as we will start at the beginning of their day and follow it to the evening. It will be an illustrative narrative as there is a obvious link between the lyrics and the visuals. The main themes that will be present in the music video are: friendship, happiness, sadness and nostalgia. We will be using the original song off YouTube which before using we will attempt to contact the artist/s asking for permission to avoid copyright issues. 

Synopsis

Becky and Allanah will be playing our two main characters who are both teenage girls who live very different lives from each other. Becky's character has an unhappy home life, relationships with her parents, isn't getting good grades and has recently lost her closest friend leaving her with no one. In comparison, Allanah's character has happy home life, good relationships with her parents, good grades and a supportive group of friends. The narrative will be presented using a split screen showing a day in their lives and how different they are however, near to the end of the narrative they experience similar problems and these problems are what leads them to cross paths and become friends. A key piece of information concerning the development of the narrative is that both girls were once close friends but this will only be revealed to the audience in the middle/towards the end of the music video. 

Characters

As I mentioned previously, we have two main characters who will be played by Becky and Allanah. Other characters may include Allanah's character's friends who will probably be played by our friends Sara and Tyreke and also family members of the characters so Becky's mum will feature in the opening sequence and Allanah's. Richard dyers star theory apply's to our music video as he states that 'stars are constructed to represent "real people" and "real emotions". This relates to our music video because we made the main character with the intention of making her relatable to the audience through her emotions. 

Location

Our main filming location will be: Allanah's house, Becky's House, school, various roads and a nearby park (possibly Richmond Park). Our main aim is to film the house scenes in the daytime so we have automatic good lighting whereas we will aim to film the scenes in the park in the evening, specifically just before sunset so that it will be clear to the audience that it is towards the end of the day. For the scenes inside the houses, to be specific we will be using the bathroom for the beginning/opening scene and perhaps a bedroom for another scene. 

Visual Elements/Mise-En-Scene/Style Choices

All of our footage will be shot in colour and we aren't 100% sure what we will want the footage to look like in terms of colour - for example, for some scenes we may want the lighting to be a bit darker to reflect the mood. As we are filming the majority of the footage in the day, lighting will not be a problem, filming at sunset might be difficult so we will need to film quickly but mostly importantly experiment beforehand to see if this would work in terms of how the footage will look on camera as we still need it to be good quality. Possible props that will be involved in the music video include: Polaroid pictures, headphones which will overall contribute to the feel of the music video and make it realistic to the audience. In terms of costume, all of our actors and actresses will be wearing casual clothes like t-shirts, trainers and jeans) which will link in with the narrative. We will be using elements of performance, to show our skills and add transitions to the piece. 

Equipment and Resources

In terms of equipment and resources, we will be needing a camcorder from school along with an SD card and the charger for the camera and a tripod. We will also need our costumes which shouldn't be hard to get a hold of as they are basically our everyday clothes anyway so we will already have them. As for our props, we will need a Polaroid camera which we have access to and a pair of headphones which are easy to get as we all have a pair anyway. After getting all of our footage, we will then need Adobe Premier Pro to edit. 

Possible Struggles and how we will overcome them

A possible struggle that we could come across would be lighting in the case of filming at the park at sunset. Since it is the park, we wouldn't be able to use the lighting kit as there would be no sockets available. To overcome this issue, early on in production (as soon as possible) we will do a recce of the location and see what the footage would look like at sunset - based on our findings from doing this recce we can either go along with production assuming that there is no problem or decide to film this scene in the middle of the day so lighting isn't a problem. Another big problem that we could come across would be if the camera ran out of battery whilst we were out in the park because it would be a waste of time to go home and charge it up again - to prevent this issue we will make sure that the camera is fully charged before taking it out of the house.

Costume and Prop Research - Allanah

Location Research - Abi

Possible locations that we could and are planning on using are: Becky's House, Allanah's House, Richmond Park and possibly school. These locations will be suitable for our genre as it is R&B and often R&B music videos feature locations that are relevant to the audience. We do not need permission to film in any of these locations so permission will not be a problem however we may need permission to film in school.

When it comes to the houses, we will specifically be using the bathrooms to shoot the shower scene at the beginning of the music video and we may also use the stairs, living room and kitchen for scenes that will work to show the direct comparison between the two lives of the girls.

The kitchen will be used for a scene to show Becky fighting with her mum which will portray the bad relationship between her and her parents whereas we may use the living room to show Allanah and the good relationship she has with her parents.

When it comes to the park, we will be using a bench for the scenes towards the end of the music video which will show the audience that they were once friends. As for the scene/s that will be filmed in school, we will use specifically the corridor.

This is not a picture of the exact bench that we will be using by it will give you an idea of what the bench scenes will look like.

There are also pictures of the possible rooms and locations we will use at Becky's house for the music video.

Moodboard - Becky

In response to the brief and song choice, I have produced a moodboard to inspire some ideas for

our music video. 

Song Choice - Abi

1-800-273-8255 (1-800) is a song by American Rapper Logic which was released on the 28th of April by Visionary Music and Def Jams Recordings. 1-800 is the third single from his third studio album 'Everybody'. The name of the song (1-800-273-8255) is the phone number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. The song was written by 6ix and Logic but features Alessia Cara and Khalid. The song also received a Grammy Award for 'Song Of The Year'.

For our song choice, we have chosen to use the song 1-800 by Logic feat, Alessia Cara and Khalid and the genre of the song is R&B. Originally, after we chose what genre of music video that we wanted to produce, we had 3 songs in mind: Silence by Marshemello ft. Khalid, 1-800 by Logic feat. Alessia Cara and Khalid and Looking for a star by XXXtentacion. To help us pick which song, we listened to all three of the songs whilst trying to imagine the narrative that we had in mind with the song. After careful consideration, we decided to use 1-800 by Logic because we felt that the lyrics and rhythm went well with the narrative that we have in mind. Since the lyrics go so well with the narrative, we will be able to establish a strong link between the lyrics and the visuals making the song more meaningful and effective. In order to use this song for our music video and avoid copyright issues we will need to gain permission from the artist/s to use the song; we will do this by both emailing the artist and tweeting them asking for permission to use the song.

The music video for the song features a young man who struggles with feeling accepted due to his sexuality. We really liked the narrative and thought that it was really effective and wanted to take inspiration from this, hence making our narrative about mental health. Mental health is often pushed under the carpet so to speak and we hadn't seen many other music videos centered around it which influenced our choice also. We wanted to create a unique idea but at the same time through the music video create awareness for mental health issues.

Gaining permission to use the song

We are still waiting to hear a response but when we upload the music video we will be sure to give rights to the record label.

Welcome!

Welcome to our group blog for Year 13 Media Studies. On the following blog we will be posting all of our work for the year including research, planning, production and our final music video. At the side of this blog, links to all of our individual blogs can be found.