Improved Storyboard parts 1-4

First two images from new storyboard made using photoshop

Storyboard Notes

 Essentially, what I was trying to depict in the storyboard was the editing of point of view shots with other, still shots edited in. I am planning to make the video relatively fast paced, to fit with what is presented in the music. The video doesn't have much of a story, and thus the storyboard is hows more of a concept than an actual story progression.

This means that The storyboard concentrates which shots will be used and where in the video, as well as putting across the general atmosphere I want to get across in the video. I also want to represent the pace of the video in the way that the storyboard is drawn.

Props & Locations

Essentially, the list of props for the music video will have to be very basic, as the video that I have planned will not require many props to be used, being more conceptual than story based (allthough still containing something similar to a story). Locations are also not much of a problem either, as most of the environments I wish to film in can be found relatively close to where I live. 

The locations in which I am filming are quite rural, as I wanted the video to have a strong reference to nature, and be quite dreamlike (something which is obviously harder to get across in an urban setting, or at least would have a very different effect than the one I am trying to create in the video). I am mainly filming roads and paths, to reference a kind of progression, a common feature of videos, as a video in itself is one of the only ways to show something which relies mainly on the progression of it's content, similar to the references to looking in music videos represent the video as a visual represention of things.

music video shot types and editing

Throughout the music video am mainly using point of view shots, as well as some high angle shots (still point of view), to make the video more personal to the viewer, as if they were experiencing what the camera is showing. High angle shots up into the sky will be used to give the impression of being free, and to reference dreams, as it seems that the anonymous person that is represented by the camera is lying down before the next shot comes in.This also references looking, and this is a reference that is commonly used in music videos. I am purposefully making the shots shakey to give the video a more "lo-fi" quality, which is the effect I was hoping to achieve. Low angle shots will be used infrequently, as I wanted to give the viewer the impression of diving towards something.

I am planning to edit the music video together in a coherent flow which fits the tempo of the music, which entails speeding up shots, changing their order, repeating them and reversing them. To beging the video, I am planning to essentially rewind the entire video to the beginning, where it will start playing. I am doing this to give the video a further "lo-fi" effect, referencing the rewinding of a cassette or video tape, and also to give the viewer the impression that the video represents a memory, or a memory of a dream, and that this is someones mind rewinding to remember it.

Filming Schedule

Saturday 22nd October	Film Introduction to video. Various alternate shots.
Sunday 23rd October	Star filming main part of video . Will probably take more time, and so may be continued the next weekend. Filming may continue over the following week, although this may be difficult due to commitments and the lack of light in the time after college.
Saturday 29th October	If not already finished, will finalize shooting over this weekend, this time may only be used for extra parts that will be edited into video.
Sunday 30th October	Again, finalizing, adding parts that haven't been filmed etc.

Dates added on:

Saturday 6th November & Sunday 7th November
Finishing shoot
          

Planning

I have an Idea for a video, for which I have done some amount of planning and research over the past two weeks. I have drawn out a preliminary storyboard, and written out a brief summary, both of which should appear on this blog in the very near future. In terms of research, I have looked at some other videos relating to genre and tone.

CD cover analysis 1 and 2

The Kills: No Wow

The cover of the Kills’ 2005 album “No Wow” gives us a definite sense of the kind of music it represents. It features the band name emblazoned in very large capital letters above two photo booth or Polaroid images of both members of the band, one holding a piece of paper with the name of the album over their eyes, and the other holding what looks like money in front of his face.
The whole cover comes across as very homemade, the pictures being blurred in places and the band name in a font consisting of hard edges and few curves. The background is also black, telling us something about the image of the band, as the colour black has connotations with evil and superstition. We are given the sense that the cover could have been put together on a whim by cutting out images and letters and sticking them down.
The images used on the cover also tell us something about the image the band is trying to portray, with the exhibition of money having connotations with corruption and greed, and the obscuring of facial features reminds us of criminals trying to hide their identity, which leads us to the similarity of the two images’ composition with photographs the police take of criminals and passport photos. The photos are also black and white leaving the only colour in the band name at the top. That colour is brown, traditionally a murky, earthy, or dirty colour, and this further emphasises the down-to-earth, “lo-fi” image of the band.
The simplicity of the cover also echoes the simplicity of the music and the fact that there are only two people in the band.
Everything about the cover of “No wow” says something about both the image and music of the band, and thus it is very successful in giving people expectations of the band and music.



Siouxsie and the banshees: Juju

The cover of “Juju”, the 1981 album by Siouxsie and the banshees, is very representative of the dark tone of the music featured on it. It features a statue, which looks African, surrounded by torn pieces of paper with musical notes on them. The whole cover seems to have had its colours inverted. The name of the band and album are restricted to relatively small writing in the top right corner, encouraging us to look more at the image than the text.
The statue is a reference to the title of the album, “Juju”. In African culture, “Juju” is supernatural power connected to a physical object, and is often applied to statues and masks. It is a very dark aspect of African religion, and this ties in with the dark themes on the album.
The inverted colours on the album cover also emphasize this, with the musical notes almost appearing burnt, and everything coming out darker than it would have been in its original colours. The colours themselves are mostly black, white, and gold, all colours together suggesting a dark majestic element, gold being traditionally associated with wealth, majesty, and royalty.
The predominance of the musical notes on this cover make it look slightly apocalyptic, especially including the tribal statue, as they give the impression of destruction, being ripped, and given the effect of being burnt by the inverted colours. They may also represent the tearing up of a music rulebook, or it may simply represent a pure act of hate.
Whatever the torn up music shows, it is a very foreboding image, and one that gives us a good sense of the type of music that awaits the listener. It is a very successful album cover, capturing the atmosphere of the music and image of the band at the time.

Video analysis 2

Video: Crying lightning
Band: Arctic Monkeys
Director: Richard Ayaode



“Crying Lightning” was a single from the album “humbug”, released in July 2009. The best way to describe it in terms of genre would be indie rock, although as ever. This description can be seen as inadequate.
The video is largely performance based, although it does feature a vague narrative involving the band sailing on a small boat in a style which is partly a parody on nautical oriented stories and films. Throughout the video we see various silhouettes of the band, and the way the video is composed is also reminiscent of various nautical paintings and films, with the composition and colours echoing this. Even the title of the video references this, using font and animation to give the impression of not just a nautical scene, but maybe of a ghost story.
The idea of ghosts returns later in the video when the band rise out of the water in a manner that is reminiscent of miracles and religious experiences. This is emphasized by the high angle of the camera, making the band seem superior.
The colours used in the video are those of a sunset, also giving it a slightly romantic feel, giving us a further idea of the video taking place within a painting. The colours, red, yellow and orange, also have connotations to anger however (especially red) and this could reflect the more aggressive aspect of the song.
The music does not correspond in any notable way with the editing of the video. The only significant way the music does really correspond is in what the band is doing in the video (playing instruments).
The narrative that is shown in the video does not follow the lyrics of the song whatsoever, but it does seem to follow the general atmosphere of the song, although this means that the video is very unexpected to people who have only listened to the song beforehand, and maybe not associated it necessarily with nautical or religious themes. This could be to it’s advantage, however, as this does mean it has an impact on the viewer, providing they have heard the song before.

Although lyrics and video are unrelated:

Outside the cafe by the cracker factory you were practicin' a magic trick
And my thoughts got rude as you talked and chewed
On the last of your pick and mix

Said you're mistaken if your thinkin' that
I haven't been caught cold before as you bit into your strawberry lace
And then a flip in your attention in the form of a gobstopper
Is all you have left and it was goin' to waste

Your past times consisted of the strange and twisted and deranged
And I love that little game you had called cryin' lightnin'
And how you like to aggravate the ice-cream man on rainy afternoons

The next time that I caught my own reflection
It was on it's way to meet you thinkin' of excuses to postpone
You never look like yourself from the side but your profile did not hide
The fact you knew I was approachin' your throne

With folded arms you occupy the bench like toothache
Saw them, puff your chest out like you never lost a war
And though I try so not to suffer the indignity of a reaction
There was no cracks to grasp or gaps to claw

And your past times consisted of the strange and twisted and deranged
And I hate that little game you had called cryin' lightnin'
And how you like to aggravate the icky man on rainy afternoons
Uninvitin' but not half as impossible as everyone assumes
You are cryin' lightnin'

Your past times consisted of the strange and twisted and deranged
And I hate that little game you had called cryin' lightnin', cryin' lightnin'
Cryin' lightnin', cryin' lightnin'

Your past times consisted of the strange and twisted and deranged
And I hate that little game you had called cryin'

planning & preperation

progress-
I have found a couple of unsigned artists that I believe I could make a video for. I have contacted them over wohomusic.net, and am now waiting for a reply.

I have a few ideas for the video, and my idea is not to make it too ambitious. In fact, I believe that due to the nature of this project, a "lo-fi" video could prove more effective than one which tries to make a larger impression on the viewers using large amounts of props and special effects.

I have decided that, partly for practical reasons, and partly to challenge myself, I will make the video more conceptual, (practical as it would be very difficult to actually use the band, and challenging as the music I am leaning towards doesn't always lend itself openly to conceptual videos.

Music video

Name: Treat me like your mother
Band: The dead weather
Director: Jonathan Glazer
Released: 2009

To say whether this video is conventional in terms of the genre of music is difficult, as the music itself could come under many different headings. You can, however say that it follows the conventions of the darker subgenres of alternative rock music, in the sense that it is aggressive, dark, and (to a certain extent) violent.
The video can be described as a narrative based one, although that narrative will most likely be a metaphorical one. If not looked at metaphorically, the video could be taken in a very different way. Other than the two members of the band in the video shown singing, it cannot be said that the band is seen at any point of the video performing the song.
The music is very aggressive, and the video relates to this in the use of firearms to (I believe) show the course of a relationship (albeit a very fraught one). I find the way the video is introduced by an exploding bomb very interesting, as I find that this relates directly to very abrupt beginning of the song. The fast paced editing of the video is fast-paced, also reflecting the agression of the music. It is interesting to note that the 180 degree rule is used for the most part during this video, maybe treating the exchange of gunfire as a kind of dialogue, thus further giving the video a more metaphorical meaning.



The band's constructed image is referenced to throughout the video. The mise en scene is instrumental in this, including the wearing of black leather jackets by both band members in the video, and the overall predominance in their appearance of the colour black, which is part of the image of the band as being dark and aggressive , as black has connotations of menace and danger. One thing however, that can be noticed, is that the black clothes worn by the two main characters in the video are almost directly contrasted by the pale sands of the desert that is the setting for the video.
The setting gives us the sense that the events taking place are somehow planned beforehand, and gives us the sense of a duel of the type that is so often seen in many a western movie.
The collection of buildings in the background seem to tell us that this is being watched, although there is no direct hint towards this. There is still a sense that the two people there are the only people for miles, and that this is between both of them, as shown by the fast close ups of both of their faces.
This video is a metaphorical narrative based video, if seen in this way. It could also merely be a visual representation of the sound. Both of these could be viable explanations, seeing as there is no direct link between the lyrics and the video. Either way I believe director has succeeded in making a video that fits the song and the band it was made for.





Here is a link


Lyrics-

Don’t act like you can’t act
I always think you do it
You better learn to shake hands
Treat me like your mother

Don’t act like you can’t act
Stand up like a man
You better learn to shake hands
Treat me like your mother

You came up, too late
You came up, too late now
You came up, too late
To do a thing

Come on look me in the eye
You wanna try to tell a lie
I’ll bet you can’t and you know why?
I’m just like your mother

Look me in the eye now
You wanna try to tell a lie
You can’t and you know why?
I’m just like your mother

You came up, too late
You came up, too late now
You came up, too late
Play dumb, play dead, play straight

Who’s got it figured out?
{play dumb, play dead, play straight}
Who’s got it figured out? Play straight
Time to manipulate

M-A-N-I-P-U-late
M-A-N-I-P-U-late
M-A-N-I-P-U-late
M-A-N-I-P-U-late
Am I too,
Am I late
Am I too
Am I late
Am I, am I, am I, am I,
am I too
Late

Who’s got it figured out
Left right, left right got it figured out
Who’s got it figured out play straight

Stand up like a man
You better learn to shake hands
Look me in the eye now
Treat me like your mother

Come on, look me in the eye
You wanna try to tell a lie?
You can’t and you know why?
I’m just like your mother

Play dumb, play dead
Tryin’ to manipulate

You blink when you breathe an d you breathe when you lie
You blink when you lie
You blink when you breathe an d you breathe when you lie
You blink when you lie
You blink when you breathe an d you breathe when you lie
You blink when you lie

Who’s got it figured out
Left right, left right got it figured out
Who’s got it figured out, play straight
Tryin to manipulate
Who’s got it figured out
{Left, left right} left right left right
Who’s got it figured out, play straight
Tryin to manipulate

You blink when you breathe an d you breathe when you lie
You blink when you lie
Who’s got it figured out, play straight