Initial Concepts For Music Video

Image Storyboard

On my image storyboard, I have chosen lyrics of the song that are significant or important to the development of the song. When creating my music video, this image storyboard should help me to narrate my chosen song because it reflects all the emotions and props needed to create an effective music video.

Formal Conventions Of Music Videos

The formal conventions that are shared by all music videos usually include an performance and abstract narrative which allows the artist to be established as the band or singer of the song.
By doing this it allows the target audience to interact with the artist and this satifies the audiences expectations of the artist. As artists are hoping to show their target audiences a different view point each music video is unique to the artist. For example, in Katy Perry's pop music video she is trying to show a more sophisticated side to herself and how she has changed from girl to woman in her video. This contrasts with the theme of The Maines song as the alternative rock track is more dark and shows the lead artist tied down and set alight to show how misery has found him once again. The use of props follow formal conventions as when creating the song musical instruments are used, this creates realism which the audience can relate to. Also within a lot of music videos. the artists likes to self establish themselves by linking the music video of a previous song to their new video so that they can reinforce the idea that, that is their new music video (potentially erasing their previous image)  and that they are promoting themselves.

Editing used within most music videos is unseen by the audience which makes the music video look more professional and allows the narrative develop seamlessly. With the beat of the song, straight cuts are usually used which allows two or more shots to be linked together with the song. Throughout a lot of music videos, jump cuts allow the narrative to develop as they create progression from one location/setting to another.  Montage editing is often used which follows the typical conventions of a music video, this allows the music video to show sequences of edits that match the timing, beat and style of the song genre.

Within cinematography, close ups are usually used to present the artist of the song and emphasise the emotion they are trying to present to the audience.  Also by using close ups it makes the things shown in the music video more prominent. The lead singer is also typically shown with close up shots when they are lip syncing.  Pan shots and tracking shots are also used to develop the storyline and narrative and 'follow' the protagonist. When performance is used in the music video, such as choreographed dance, long shots are also typically used to allow the audience to see the artist perform and this also allows the audience to learn the dance routine.

Depending on the type of music video, the mise en scene can be portrayed very differently. Also within each music video there are codes and conventions that reinforce the idea of a particular genre. For example within a heavy metal music video, musical instruments woiuld be present and a lot of dark lighting would be used. Because of these codes and conventions we as the audience are able to establish what is conventional within a music video.

Lucy Rose - Scar (Textual Analysis 3)

Written by: Lucy Rose
Genre: Indie folk
Structure: Narrative
Director: Orestes Mitas   

The plot of the video is of a female protagonist overcoming her  heartbreak of splitting up with her boyfriend and accepting that it is over and learning not to just go over her relationship. The video begins with the girl layed in bed thinking over how the relationship ended and doing everything she would probably do with her boyfriend on her own. As the video progresses the girl begins interacting with her family and discovering herself again up until the day she is going to meet up with him to talk things over.

The establishing close up shot of the girl shows her staring off into the distance. This type of shot conveys to the audience that she is deep in thought possibly thinking about her meeting up with the person for the first time since the break up. The music video is mainly filmed in moving shots following the girl on what she does every day. By using this type of camera shot it allows the audience to see a very personal journey of the girl because the camera follows her throughout every day activity she does. The close up shot of the girl dropping her ice cream shows she is ready to move on because she feels as though she should no longer 'mourning' over the end of the relationship. Various long shots have been used to convey the scenery around the girl which is a typical convention of indie folk music videos. The use of this in the videos conveys how she is rediscovering the world without her boyfriend and how now she can finally move on.

The blue dress and socks contrasts with stereotypes of what girls should wear as girls usually wear dresses with heels or formal shoes whereas the female within the music video wears casual trainers conveying to the audience that she does not really care for stereotypical norms and that she is free to do what she wants. This may also suggest she doesn't care about her relationship. Throughout the music video the girl wears dark coloured jumpers and t-shirts which connotes that she is still dealing with her breakup. Also by wearing this type of clothing it suggests that she is quite ordinary and goes against conventions of a typical girl in a music video. The contrast in the dark and light lighting implies to the audience that the girl going through her breakup is experiencing highs and lows of the breakup but as the music video continues the lighting eventually becomes brighter symbolizing that she is happy.

Within the music video, the edits have mainly been straight cut edits and they are very few within the music video. This is quite conventional in a indie folk music video as often the songs have long beats which results in the video being slowly edited ot the beat During the chorus 'Let this part of me, remember how lovely we are, we are' the edits are slightly faster to match the beat of the music video. By using these types of edits it shows to the audience what the couple used to do before they broke up but also to show how she is overcoming the breakup by taking part in things she didn't used to do before they broke up.

In terms of how conventional the music video is, it is quite typical of an indie folk music video as it incorporates slow edits with beat of the music. The narrative also follows a stereotypical plot where the girl is discovering herself after a break up.

In total
close up shots
pan shots
tracking shots
long shots

Angus And Julia Stone - Big Jet Plane (Textual Analysis 2)

Written by: Angus Stone, Julia Stone and Govinda Doyle
Genre: Folk, Acoustic
Structure: Narrative
Director: Kiku Ohe       

The narrative plot shows the life a female protagonist working the late shift at a large supermarket store who in the video is repetitively stacking and unstacking the shelves. Clear to the audience this is not the lifestyle she desires and wishes to travel the world. Towards the end of the video the woman is riding in a car with her hair blowing behind her. The music video ends with the girl spraying the windows at her work job showing that the girl still has the same lifestyle.

The music video is a narrative piece and is conventional of a indie folk song due to the nature of the song.

The female protagonist is presented in  blue jeans, a black t-shirt and her work overalls. Throughout the video, this is the only clothing we see the woman in which could suggest that she feels as though her only purpose is to work. The clothing she wears are plain and are simple colours which contrasts with the lifestyle that she wants which is shown when she puts the black guitar sunglasses on which suggests she wants a rock star lifestyle. As guitars often are associated with rock music. Also as the girl is wearing a cream overall as her work uniform it suggests that she is restricted in being herself and has to settle to just being another work colleague.  The girl wears bright pink nails which give connotations of youth and freedom but this is the only bright colour we see on the girl reinforcing the idea that she is restricted in what she wants to do. The man on the television (Angus Stone) has wild brown hair and beard which gives the audiences connotations of being free and not caring what people think.

The opening shot of the females hair blowing in front of the sun gives connotations of freedom and by using the warm colours it suggests that the woman is on  holiday. This follows with the close up of the girl having her hair blown by the fan, this contrasts with the initial idea of her being in the sun showing how she is limited in what she can do. By having the females eyes closed it suggests to the audience that she is  in fact dreaming to be in the sun matching the style of the music.
The extreme close up of the clock ticking could connote how time is quickly passing, so that her chances of her going on holiday or flying away are quickly slimming. By having the field of depth shot of the twinking bright lights and the girls hand in front it shows how the woman is dreaming of flying away matching the non diegetic sound of the music. The over head shot is used to show the girl sweeping up colourful confetti and stars, by using this the audience find out how insignificant her job is and would rather sweep up the small things like confetti because she does not enjoy it. This shot may also have been used to represent how sweeping up the confetti and stars she is infact 'sweeping' up her hopes and dreams accepting that she will not be able to travel. The long shot of the world map and with travel clippings surrounding it, reinforces her dreams of travelling around the world. As the lights are flashing above it gives an urgency in that she has to fly or travel soon and also shows that it is a constant desire of her to fly.

Throughout the video, the edits are usually straight cut edits and between each cut there is a large delay to the next shot. These edits match the pace and beat to the music making the video seem calm and sobering. At 2:59 the shot is edited to show the extreme close up of the womans eye, the use of this and the flashing light matches the beat of the music and shows how she drastically wants her life to change. When the shot is on the girl in the car, the edits are very delayed which connotes that the girl wishes she was no longer working and infact in the sun.


In total
18 close up shots
12 long shots
4 field of depth shots
7 medium close up shots
1 pan shots

Conventions Of Indie Folk

Cinematography
Within indie folk music videos, close up shots of the artist/ actor are usually used to convey their emotions to the song (or what they are singing about). By using this type of shot, it allows the audience to interact with the singer and empathise with them depending on what the song is about. Also many long shots and establishing shots are used which are of everyday places such as school/work environments, at home, walking down the street etc - these are normally incorporated into indie folk music videos to show the audience that the artist/actor has the same lifestyle and so allows the target audience to relate to them. Moving cameras are usually used to also convey the emotion behind the song and to add to the often haunting narrative.
Editing
Editing cuts are usually slow in indie folk to match the pace and beat of the music video. Also scenes within the music video particularly last longer then the average pop genre music video, this is because indie folk music videos generally rely on imagery to tell the song so that the audience can understand it better. The edits also usually have a blend of subtle cuts and repeated images and/or a repetition of edits to reinstate a line of a song that has already been said. This is also used to show that the artist thinks that particular part of the song was important.
Mise-En-Scene
Within indie folk music, the male artists typically wear formal attire such as white shirts and braces with the contrast of a scruffy large beard, whereas the females wear vitnage styled dresses. Both male and female depending on the style of the video wear casual clothing which suggest to the audience that the are ordinary people.  The lighting of indie folk music videos usually is quite dark and yellowy. Also in the music videos there is a large contrast between light and dark. It normally includes natural settings such as forests and outdoor places that are very earthy.

Overall indie folk music videos usually incorporates simplistic, artistic ideas to create an effective music video. They also conventionally have a reduced amount of edits to match the calming atmosphere that is created by the use of conventional dark lighting, a melancholy melody and the use of imagery. As well as this indie folk music videos usually use pure narrative to get the song across to the target audience and usually there is no direct link between the video and the lyrics. The artist also momentary features in the music video as the music video is mainly based around creating an image rather than selling the artist.

Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros - Child (Textual Analysis 1)

Written by: Alex Ebert
Genre: Indie folk
Structure: Narrative
Director: Michal Byra  

The plot of the narrative depending how you interpret the video focuses on an elderly male protagonist at the end of his life in the hospital where he meets a young female who takes him out of the hospital to enjoy one last day. The music video may also be interpreted as the man's death being reunited with his first love or wife when they first met each other. Towards the end of the video, the elderly man turns into a young boy reflecting how he feels young and free again or how he is at peace with his first love. The video ends with the young boy and young girl laying under a tree.

The opening tracking shot of the female nurse walking into the old mans hospital room, conflicts with the usual connotations of a nurse who are often regarded as warm, friendly and cheerful whereas in the music video the nurse is seen blowing chewing gum, wearing flip flops and black painted nails and appearing unfriendly. This possibly reflects how the nurse does not feel as though her job is satisfying and is potentially not happy with her life.

Throughout the music video, straight cut edits are used besides the scenes with the nurse to reinforce the realism of the narrative but also shows a non-linear plot with the structure of the narrative as the audience is made to view different scenes in no particular order. For example, the elderly man and young girl are on the bus together, this follows by the young girl stealing an apple from a market stall and then they are back on the bus. This may have been used to show the time that the elderly man felt most happiest or could literally mean the elderly man and young girl have spent the day in lots of locations to experience the day fully. The edits within the music video are also quite slow and match the mood of the track with the occasional edit to the beat. Also several close ups of the elderly man are used in slow motion to portray how the man is experiencing the freedom that he did not have in the hospital. It could also signify how the man is having the best time of his life and does not want the day to end or that he is treasuring lost time. The use of lighting also reinforces this as within the hospital scenes, the dark cold colours such as blue and green give connotations of misery and could signify death. This contrasts with the scenes outside as warm colours such as browns and yellows have been used to connote warmth, happiness and freedom. Also the colouring has an old photograph style colouring which could suggest the man is reminiscing the past.

The elderly males blue pyjamas in the hospital have connotations of a calming atmosphere and peace which could portray how at the end of his life the man wants to feel comfortable before he dies. It may also represent how the man is content with his life or could simply be used to create verisimilitude to show typical hospital clothing.  By using a close up of the mans wrinkled hand with the plaster attached it shows his vulnerability within the hospital and how he feels frail. The pale pink dress that the young girl is wearing gives connotations of innocence and reflects how the girl is still young. This however conflicts with her role as a young girl as it actually shows her taking the elderly man around as though he is a young child reinstating how he is vulnerable and needs protecting.

The use of the tracking shots when the young girl and elderly man are 'flying aeroplanes' contrasts with the idea of elderly people not really being very active and conveys how the man has returned to a child-like state. Also the use of the white bird feathers gives connotations of innocence and playfulness by using them it reinforces how the man may be remembering his childhood when he used to play aeroplanes. The close up of the elderly mans face conveys the emotion of him feeling sad and allows the audience to sympathise with him also reinforcing the lyrics of the song. By using a moving camera whilst the elderly man and girl are on the bus it conveys the mans weariness and fear of the unknown. By having dark shadows on his face it suggests that he is 'in the dark' as to where the young girl is taking him but also how he should react to the sudden change of location.

Throughout the video, the non-digetic sound of the music is played to the narrative, however the narrative is silent except for the beginning of the music video when the audience hears the diegetic sound of the nurses shoes. This creates a calming atmosphere to the music video and allows the audience to reflect on the lyrics of the song but also watch the narrative and allows the watcher to come up with their own conclusions.

In total

close up shots

8 pan shots

17 tracking shots

medium close up shots

long shots

8 two shots

Chosen Song

To create my music I have decided to create a music video for the studio version of the song Candles by Daughter. As this song is of the indie folk genre, I will have to ensure that my music video meets conventional standards of an indie folk music video.