Pitch

Props List

The props required for my music video are:

A plushie

Wristbands

Jewellery

Television

Television remote

Armchair

Two chairs.

Ropes of varying thickness.

Handcuffs.

Something to be used as a gag.

A park bench.

A public bin.

A comic.

Other items that are required can be provided by me, or my actress, such as the clothes to fit all of the characters, the cute, girly character, the gothic, alternative character, and then the punk, colourful character. Me and Carrie will put our resources together and create costumes and accessories for these characters, all of which are played by Carrie.

I have chosen to have Carrie play all of the characters because I think the contrast between them is greater when the same actress is beneath it, and it makes the characters closer. It also adds an element of surrealism to the video, to the narrative.

Risk Assessment

There are not many risks involved with producing my film, though I will describe the few possible risks.

One shot is taken from atop a wall, for a bird's eye view effect, the risks of this could be danger to myself, falling off the wall, or danger to the camera, if I dropped the equipment.

The precautions taken in this situation will be that the camera will be attached securely to me, via either a neck strap or a wrist strap. Also, there will be someone holding me up on the wall, ensuring that I keep my balance, assisting in me holding the shot steady and ensuring that I do not injure myself.

Another shot is taken from atop a chair, which is another possible risk, and the same precautions will be taken, securing the camera and assisting my stability.

Other dangers could be wires on the floor, making sure that no one, including myself, trips over the wires or knocks them out of place.

The tripod screws will be as secure as possible, fastened tightly to ensure that the camera stays level, and the tripod stays balanced

I do not think that there are any other risks in the production of my film, as most of my film is shot in empty spaces, in daylight, so I do not have to worry about members of the public, passers-by damaging the equipment, or be worried about having the equipment out on display late at night. All of the risks involved with my filming are easy to precaution myself against.

Shooting Calender

Here are the dates on which I can shoot my film. Not all of the dates highlighted below will be used, but all of the dates are possibilities, openings where both me and my actress are available. I hope to have my filiming completed by the 15th November, but the dates afterwards are merely backup dates, for any scenes that may need adding to, or re-shooting. This then gives me more than enough time to edit my film, and have it finished before the deadline date.

Detailed Shot List

Here is my detailed shot list. Each shot number covers a frame on my storyboard, my animatic. It has details of the shot duration, the props required, the location of filming, the type of shot, as well as the camera movements and a brief description of each shot. The shots in blue are animated, the shots in pink are not, and the shots in purple are the link between the two. During the purple shot, the music video merges from animation into live action.

Wepbage design development.

Here is another idea i have developed, this time for the web page design. I like how it combines the hand-drawn elements with the more technical, digitally altered elements of the design.

CD Cover- Developing An Idea

Here, I have developed one of my ideas for the CD cover. However, as the logo has not yet been decided on, the title is just handwritten in basic text.

Webpage Design Ideas

Here are some ideas for the website page for Alice in Videoland, holding the link between the music video, the CD cover and the webpage.

CD Cover Design Ideas

Here are a range of designs for the CD cover for my chosen song, with annotations to explain and expand on my ideas.

Alice in Videoland

The band needs a logo, a theme, a band identity, that will coincide with my music video, as well as the other forms of media, the CD cover, and the website homepage. Here are some of my ideas, some produced manually and then scanned in, while others were created using combined manual and digital processes. Personally, I prefer the digitally altered logos, using Photoshop to add the colour, as these look more professional and realistic, as well as making the colours more intense. I like the typography of the logo, the text seemingly handwritten, unorganised, with the letters held at quirky angles, it makes it seem alive. The scribbles colour also adds movement to the words, giving a childish feel, as do the vibrant colours of the spectrum. The gradient used with the pink and yellow is too soft and the colours blend to smoothly, whereas the scribbled image seems rougher somehow, more realistic, and better suits my genre.

Actors/Actresses

For my music video, I require only one actress. A performing arts student, Carrie Corns, is going to be the character in my video. I only require one person because the same person plays both of the characters in my narrative, which will increase the contrast, and give me more oppourtunities to add effects and modifications during the editing period.
Carrie is a skilled and practiced actress, as well as being reliable and punctual. She has also already agreed to some pre-decided dates for filming, setting aside time for filming. Carrie can also provide some of the props required, which I will add more detail on in a later post.
I also need one male actor for a couple of minor, flashback scenes, and another performing arts student, Dean Oakshott, is going to be the male character in my video.

Initial Ideas

Here is the mindmap from my initial ideas for my music video. I have scanned the page in, to view the page in full, please click on the image below. It includes my first ideas, with some mentions of camera shots and scenes that I intend to develop.

Audience Research

I have evaluated my audience research, and here are some of the interesting answers and information I have gained form this task.

The genre of electroclash, or electropop evoked thoughts of “groovy” colours and flashing backgrounds, as well as computer graphics and animation, fluorescent colours, and electronic instruments.

The overall impression is that an interesting narrative in a music video is attractive, possibly with some elements of humour, and most people are initially attracted to a music video is the visual links with the lyrical content of the song.

These are the results from my multiple choice questions, to view in full please click on the scaled down image below.

Primary Audience Research

Audience Research

The genre of my song is classed as electroclash or electropop, what would you expect to see in a music video of this genre?

When you hear the terms electropop or electroclash, what is the first thing that comes to mind?

What is your favourite thing to see in a music video?

What is it that initially attracts you to a song or a music video?

Do you like music videos that are…
[ ] Multi-strand (more than one storyline running at once)
[ ] Non-linear (the shots are not in chronological order)
[ ] Everything in the right order, only following one storyline.

What kind of music video do you prefer?
[ ] Amplification (where the actions and shot transitions in the video reflect the sound beats of the song)
[ ] Disjuncture (where the video has no relevance to the lyrics or the song)
[ ] Illustrative (where the video directly reflects the lyric, enclosed within a narrative)

What kind of camera shots do you prefer?
[ ] Lots of close ups showing facial expression and portraying emotion.
[ ] Mostly long shots showing characters within their surroundings.
[ ] A wide range of camera shots, from extreme close ups to establishing shots.

What do you like most in a music video?
[ ] Mostly narrative.
[ ] Mostly performance.
[ ] A mixture between narrative and performance.

If you like narrative in a music video, what kind of narrative do you prefer?
[ ] A narrative that directly reflects the lyrics.
[ ] A narrative that only has some link with the lyrics.
[ ] A narrative with no link to the lyrics at all.

Music Video Analysis

I have also analysed Robot's in Disguise's music video for The Tears.

The video starts off with some old-fashioned organ music, with the title of the music video in thick black ink on a brown coloured screen, made to look like paper, with a crackly, marked image and lines running down the frame, to make the video seem dated and old. The song begins, and the image shows a room, seemingly drawn, in a sepia colour, with the character sat in the corner behind the table in black and white, with a very white face and black make-up, similar to that of a mime artist. Another character appears, using stop motion, she is standing on the other side of the room.

The shots change with the beat of the music, the video uses amplification to emphasise the beats of the song. The shots all have a black edge and black corners, with bleeds into the image and fades out, so the edges of the frame are hard to distinguish. The character that is stood up takes steps to walk towards the other character, and her movements are all exaggerated, she keeps her back very straight to emphasise the beat of her foot steps being in synchronisation with the song. The video then cuts straight to another room, showing a drape of fabric and two silhouettes. One of the silhouettes plays a guitar behind the drape, so the silhouette is less focused and more blurry. The other character is clearer, stood in front of the drape, making shapes and dancing, all of her movements are big, exaggerated movements that are impossible to miss.

There are also medium close ups of each character singly, with low key lighting, and lots of deep shadows being cast, which emphasises the intensity of the white face, and the character fans some playing cards, lip-syncing the lyrics of the song. The video goes back to the room where one character is sat, one is stood and the play a game of cards on a low standing table. As each character places her turn down on the table, there is a single shot of the character, and there are separate shots of both characters as they sing the lyrics "what's the number?" with a call and response effect.

Stop motion animation is then used; showing the cards moving around the table, rearranging to leave only the Aces in a line, and those three cards seems to "dance" on the table. The video then cut zooms to a picture on the wall of a male character, in similar, clown-like attire to the other characters. There is then a long shot of one of the characters trying to get into the room, pulling themselves along the wall, with jerky movements, seeming to be struggling as if battling against some unseen force.

The man from the picture on the wall then enters the room, bending down and some flowers appear in his hand, using stop motion, and the character stood up pulls a comic pose, looking flattered with her hands clasped at one side, mouth wide in exaggerated surprise. The other character sits with a straight back, hands in her lap as the flowers are placed on the table directly in front of her, hiding her face from view. The man and the woman who is stood up dance with jerky, unrealistic movements, using stills and stop-motion animation to create this effect, the dance ending in an embrace. There is then a close up of the other character's face, scowling, looking angry behind the flowers. As the first character leaves the male and takes the flowers out of the room, the man blows a kiss to the character sat down, close ups of both of the characters face, showing the woman's response to this as she bats her eyelashes.

There is an extreme close up of the first characters eyeball peeing through a keyhole, outside of the keyhole is just solid black, so her white face and eyeball stand out immensely. As she sees what is happening inside of the room, the expression in the eye is evident, as it widens in shock, then narrows in anger.

A two shot shows both female characters singing the lyrics, one on the foreground and one in the background at either side of the screen, and the shadows are extreme so only the areas that are very well lit are visible, such as their white faces. There are jump shots of the male and female character embracing, and then a slow motion effect as the first character slaps the second across the face. The male character writes on the blackboard in chalk, slow motion as he steps away to reveal lyrics from the song.

There are some more medium close ups of the female characters singly, in deep shadow and low key lighting as one of the characters throws her playing cars in the direction of the camera, lip-syncing, using direct mode of address and looking straight at the viewer. Close ups of each female character are used to show their facial expression, looking manic and angry as they fight violently, and the man attempts to break them apart, pulling them from side to side in time with the beats of the music. As the male is thrown backwards, there is a low angle close up of one of the females face, showing the shock on her face, then a high angle shot of him on the floor, as chalk scribbles appear by his head, the animation of his "blood". A low angle two shot of both females shows the devastation on their faces, and then there is a slow zoom in on the male on the floor.

Another two shot of the female characters stood side by side, crying, their tears animated. As their tears hit the floor, they explode into expanding balls of screwed-up paper, expanding and laying at their feet. A long shot of the characters, hands to their eyes, surrounded by screwed-up paper balls and a frame fades in around them, and they become the picture in the frame on the wall, replacing the image of the man. There is a cut zoom to show the frame in the centre of the wall, then the image fades to black. Credits appear again, on the brown, marked screen as at the beginning, with tinny organ music being played over.

Music Video Analysis

I have analysed Alice in Videoland's music video for their song Going Down.

The video starts with the headlights of a car looming out of the darkness, with the head of a black dog dominating the rest of the frame, which then fades to another shot of the car headlights, illuminating the silhouette of a woman, as well as the silhouette of the large dog stood over the character. Smoke sweeps across the frame, but is only visible in the beaming car headlights, rendering the scene mysterious, and giving the vacant black some more substance and atmosphere. The headlights get brighter, the light from them more intense, revealing more of the characters so the woman is more than just a silhouette now, she is still in deep shadow, but her vibrant red hair is visible, the style rough and messy. The shots of the woman range from long shots of her entire body on the floor, medium shots, and some close ups and meat shots of her singing the lyrics. During these shots, she is in various positions, from laying on the floor to being on all fours, crouched, almost in a threatening, predatory position. All of these shots at this point in the music video are low angle shots, giving her a domineering, intimidating image as she looks down upon the camera, looking down to the viewer. These shots are inter-cut with some shots of the black dog, silhouetted against the headlights, the shots of the dog and the woman fading into each other. At 00.25, the shots change to a long shot of the woman walking down what looks like a road, she is just off-centre in the frame, surrounded by darkness, the only exception two strips of red lights marking the side of the path or road that she walks, which flash in synchronization with the beats of the music. The woman walks holding a thick silver chain, bright in contrast against the black, and has the large dog on a lead. She also walks with definitive steps, she walks in a determined manner, the movement of her hips and the swing of her arm are in time with the music, they amplify the rhythm. You can also see her a lot clearer now, despite the dark background, she is well lit and her pale skin glows in contrast to the darkness. Her vibrant red hair is matched by a bold red lipstick and a red, low-cut top. She also wears a ripped top, so ripped that it is barely there, just straps hanging off her body, and it looks almost skeletal. She wears chains on her trousers, and the whole image and mise-en-scene of the woman fits in with the gothic or punk stereotypical image. It cuts to a medium close up of the woman, showing her lip-syncing the lyrics to the song, an expression of determination evident on her face. At 00.43, it shows a road lit by only headlights, for 2 seconds, a point of view shot from the car bonnet. There is then another low angle medium close up of the woman, starting off with just her head being visible, then her torso as she walks towards the camera. The video is crosscut with a multi-strand, the woman walking down the road and the shots of the car. Just as the music changes slightly, there is a shot of the car from the road, to amplify the change in music, then a cut zoom to the car at a closer angle. The video then cuts to a three shot inside the car, but the lighting is low-key so only half of their faces is visible, they are in shadow, which introduces mystery and the curiosity of who these characters are. Although the shots of the woman are quite repetitive, variation is kept because the while the shots are always in the same location, the range of shots used is quite wide, from showing a long shot of her quite small in the frame, surrounded by the red lights and darkness, to a meat shot close up of her face, establishing her character, and her role in the video, and the band. As the video continues, the shots of the car and the people inside it increase in length and frequency, until it shows another point of view shot from the car, smoke once again illuminated in the headlights. There is a medium close up of the woman, then a long shot of the headlights in the distance, a tiny light in a black screen. The shots of the woman are then cut zoomed in and out at a fast pace, anticipating some action in the video, then it zooms out to a long shot, the angle changing to behind her as she walks towards the headlights in the distance, her body still visible in low key lighting, the headlight completely immersed as she steps in front of them. She almost fades to black, then it cuts to a close up of her face, the closest up shot used in the entirety of the video. It cuts to the back of her again, she walks forwards and the headlights come towards the camera, lighting up the screen until it dissolves into a bold red screen, ending the video.

Webpage Analysis

The official webpage for Alice in Videoland is the Myspace page. www.myspace.com/aliceinvideoland

The design of the Myspace page is linked closely with their most recent album cover, "She's a Machine", in the fact that the colours are all very bright, the writing and borders are all in a bold pink colour, which matches the colour of the detail on the album cover. The tone of pink also matches the shade I have chosen for the titles and detail on my blog page, which maintains a link with the artist, as well as the yellow background to coincide with the album cover design for "She's a Machine". The image underlayed beneath all of the content boxes of the page is a breakdancer with a microphone, wearing stripy gloves, wristbands, baseball boots and brightly coloured clothing, supporting the genre of the band. The Myspace page has sections on the band's blog, as well as upcoming tour dates, links via which you can contact the band, and links to buy their music and comment on the page. At the head of the page there is also a large image of the band, to establishg their identity and give you an idea of the genre before you scroll down the page. The stance of the group is quite forward and casual, and they are dressed in quite a punk style. The fact that one band member is sticking his tongue out at the camera gives you the impression that the band are also very fun, with upbeat music. To see the screenshot in full, click on the image below.

A similar artist of the same genre is Robots in Disguise, (www.robotsindisguise.co.uk) and the official webpage for this band has close links with the music video for their latest single, "The Tears". The colours used in the music video are sepia tones and black and white, and the crisp contrast between the black and white of the webpage match that. The webpage is quite minimal and organised, with neat links and titles of pages set at the bottom below the content box, in which the main feature of the page is enclosed. The red detail on the webpage also matches the red detail on the album cover. The theme of newspaper scraps on the album cover, music video and webpage are another example of the close link between all three forms of media. However, there is an image of the members of the group on the webpage, but not on the album cover, but this links the webpage and the music video. Like most artists, Robots In Disguise maintain a close link between all forms of media, establishing a brand identity and recognisable icons of the band. To see the screenshot in full, click on the image below.

Album Cover Analysis

She’s A Machine – CD Cover Analysis

She’s a Machine is the most recent album from Alice in Videoland, and was released in 2008. The main colour on the CD cover is a bold, sunshine yellow, which connotes the music being upbeat, and lively. The extreme colour will attract the attention of the target market. The use of shocking, intense colour, and the strong contrast between the acid yellow and the candy pink incorporates a punk image into the album cover. The artwork on the cover is minimalistic, simple shapes, no different tones or shades; it just uses black block shapes over the yellow backdrop. The images show cogs, components of machinery, which supports the title of the album. The cogs and parts are drawn with quite thick black lines, to show them up against the background more, intensifying their impact. The black of the machinery merges into a black background of an image of a female character, wearing what looks like a hat, or a large hood, with some sort of goggles sat atop it. The woman has her chin up, in a defensive manner, showing a lot of attitude. The expression on her face is quite confident, almost smug and she is drawn in a slightly cartoon style, following the same theme as the cogs, only using line, no tonal shading. The facial features can only be seen by the shadow caused by the features, such as the shadow underneath the nose. The image of the character uses thinner, more delicate lines to suit the female character, and the shapes and lines of the hair are more refined than that of the machinery. The contrast between the black and the yellow reminds me of Police tape, the “Do not cross” tape that is installed around crime scenes, so the album cover seems to me as a bit of a warning, but you want to know more anyway, it looks like an interesting album. The font used to write AIV in the top right is a cute, candy pink, colour, but uses a graffiti font to contrast this idea. The graffiti typography is very current, and modern, and is associated with being rebellious, which will attract people to the CD.

Lyrics breakdown

Here is a breakdown of the lyrics to my chosen track, Radiosong by Alice in Videoland.
I have added time stamps to the lyrics.
The red times indicate what time the line begins.
The green times indicate what time the line ends.
The pink times indicate the length of each line.
The lighter blue times indicate the length of space between verses and choruses.

(00.24) It's nobody's business what i'm doing with my life, (00.28) (4 secs)
(00.28) So if i should feel like wasting it all that should be alright, (00.34) (5 secs)
(4 secs)

(00.38) Feelin' sorry for myself was takin' up my time,  (00.42) (4 secs)
(00.42) So i thought i'd stay at home, until i got some kind of sign (00.47) (5 secs)
(4 secs)
(00.51) Well, thank god one of the guys, he got to me. (00.54) (3 secs)
(00.54) Said, get your butt here A.S.A.P. (00.56) (2 secs)
(00.57) Looked me in the eyes, Shook his head, (00.59) (2 secs)
(00.59) Pulled up a chair and then he said, (01.01) (2 secs)
(1 sec)
(01.02) Heyyy ya might just wanna, (01.04) (2 secs)
(01.04) Sit down when i tell ya this honey, (01.06) (2 secs)
(01.06) I know you've been dumped and all that shit (01.08) (2 secs)
(01.09) But your attitude sucks, you gotta admit (01.11) (2 secs)
(01.11) Get yourself together. will you? (01.13) (2 secs)
(01.13) You write another love song, i'll kill you, (01.15) (2 secs)
(01.16) One more he said, (01.17) (1 sec)
(01.19) And you're as good as dead. (01.20) (2 secs)
(5 secs)
(01.25) I guess i have no choice, but with admitting my mistake. (01.28) (3 secs)
(01.29) There's no excuse to be alive, each time this young heart breaks. (01.33) (4 secs)
(5 secs)
(01.38) Life should be a fairy tale with happy ever afters (01.43) (5 secs)
(01.43) Like a place where no one lies, (01.45) (2 secs)
(01.45) All problems solved with laughters (01.48) (3 secs)
(4 secs)
(01.52) Well, thank god one of the guys, he got to me. (01.54) (2 secs)
(01.54) Said, get your butt here A.S.A.P. (01.57) (3 secs)
(01.57) Looked me in the eyes, Shook his head, (01.59) (2 secs)
(02.00) Pulled up a chair and then he said, (02.02) (2 secs)

(02.02) Heyyy ya might just wanna, (02.04) (2 secs)
(02.05) Sit down when i tell ya this honey, (02.06) (1 sec)
(02.07) I know you've been dumped and all that shit (02.09) (2 secs)
(02.09) But your attitude sucks, you gotta admit (02.11) (2 secs)
(02.12) Get yourself together, will you?(02.13) (1 sec)
(02.14) You write another love song, i'll kill you, (02.16) (2 secs)
(02.16) One more he said, (02.18) (2 secs)
(02.18) And you're as good as dead. (02.20) (2 secs)
(11 secs)
(02.31) One member of my pack said today (02.34) (3 secs)
(02.35) I hope you understand you're not gonna like what i have to say (02.38) (3 secs)
(02.39) I know you've been dumped and all that shit (02.41) (2 secs)
(02.42) But your attitude sucks you gotta admit (02.44) (5 secs)
(02.44) Get yourself together, i know you. (02.46) (2 secs)
(02.46) If you rat on me once, i'll kill you. (02.48) (2 secs)
(3 secs)
(02.51) Heyyy ya might just wanna, (02.53) (2 secs)
(02.54) Sit down when i tell ya this honey, (02.55) (1 sec)
(02.56) I know you've been dumped and all that shit (02.58) (2 secs)
(02.58) But your attitude sucks, you gotta admit (03.00) (2 secs)
(03.00) Get yourself together, will you? (03.02) (2 secs)
(03.03) You write another love song, i'll kill you, (03.05) (2 secs)
(03.05) One more he said, (03.07) (2 secs)
(03.07) And you're as good as dead. (03.09) (2 secs)
(13 secs)
(03.32) END

Artist's Permission

I messaged Alice In Videoland on Myspace, asking for permission to use one of their songs for my music video, and here is a screen cap of the message I sent them, along with the reply that I received, allowing me to use their music. To see the image in full, click on the image below.