Storyboards

Before I started shooting I needed a clear idea about what to film, and what shot types I would use, so I created detailed storyboards that would help save time when filming but also make sure I got all the shots I would need for editing. 

Location Research

There are several locations used within my music video, to decide on them I had to consider many aspects including what would be in the background.

The first location I needed to decide on was the room in which Josh Holmes, my artist, would play his piano within. I wanted a light coloured or white background so the focus would remain on Josh and not on any distractions from the background. I considered my school hall, as it is a large open space with white walls, it

For the exterior shots I needed somewhere that suited the shots within my storyboards, I knew the sort of places needed when I drew them. For example the road used in the main part of shooting was easy to find a location because nothing special was needed, I chose this road because I can achieve the angle I will shoot from easily because of the long stretch of road.

For my shots within the park scene's I needed a park! I chose this park because it had the bench that was needed within the scene, there wasn't much within the mis-en-scene which will keep the shot simple and not too crowded.

For my shots with the piano I wanted some where with a plain background so that my artist would really stand out. I eventually settled on a room in my school which ended up working out really well.

Audience Research & Expectations of Music Videos in the Genre..

When creating my questionnaire I wanted to find out what the audience expected from my music video, whether they wanted it to follow certain codes and conventions or go against the normally followed rules of that genre. The first question I asked was, 'Do you expect a music video to follow typical genre characteristics? (for example within a pop video there would be plenty upbeat dancing)

The audience responded as I expected, with 13 out of the 20 votes siding towards the more conventional approach of sticking to genre characteristics. 

The second question I asked was quite a simple question, 'Would you rather a music video be narrative or concept based?' 

The response was largely siding towards a narrative video, so to keep with my target audience I will need to create a narrative to follow too, relating to the lyrics maybe.

The third question I asked 'Do you like the music video to relate to the lyrics of the song?'. 

The results were fairly even, showing I could put my music video either way, relating to the lyrics or not. Since I am doing quite a narrative video I will most likely relate my video to the lyrics. 

The last question I asked was "If the artist hasn't been established would you expect close up shots of the artist in the video?" 

As expected I thought the overall result would be yes, and it was, 15 of the votes were yes, so since my artist hasn't been established I will need plenty of close ups and shots of my artist. 

Music Video Brief

I will be producing a music video for Josh Holmes, a trained singer and songwriter. Since this will be his first music video there will be plenty of close up shots to establish the artist as well as including a narrative within the video, based around the lyrics of the song. The video will be distributed on the artist's Myspace page and on Youtube, the target audience will consist of older males and females. To appeal to my older audience, I will focus the narrative on the the lyrics to keep the focus on the song.

Goodwin's Ideas

Although within the video Lily only wears one outfit there are continually long shots showing Lilys whole body. Fitting with 'the voyeuristic treatment of the female body', the camera mainly focuses on Lily, dressing her in a bright red dress that sets her apart from the background and any other extras within the shot making the audience focus on her, and her body.

The music video has different genre characteristics, Lily's song is quite an upbeat pop song which is reflected through her dress, the colours used in the mis-en-scene and the shots used. Panning shots are mainly used following Lily around London to meet her friend, this also relates to the music used. Very bright colours are used to reflect the music and dull, dark colours that are used reflect the lyrics of the song.


These close ups were probably due to the 'demands of the record label' to show off and highlight the artist within the video. The second close up of Lily's shoe reflect her unique fashion style that she had developed-trainers and big dresses. The close up of her faces develop her personality where she is smiling straight at the camera-or audience conforming to her confident public image.

This screenshot relates to the relationship between the lyrics and the visuals. The lyric "everything looks nice but if you look twice its all lies" is represented through this visual, when Lily first walks past there is two smart looking men in suits eating lunch on a park bench in the sun. After she walks past they turn into scruffy looking homeless men in a rough looking neighborhood, reflecting her lyric not everything is what it seems.