Animatics

Team member Ellis took lead role in constructing our storyboard with the advise of myself and Bethan. We drew out pictures of every shot we believed we needed for the video to give ourselves a visual idea of what we' be viewing whilst listening to the music. Once we done this we drew over the pencil in black pen to enhance the clarity and definition of the pictures before taking photos of them. We next uploaded the photos onto the Apple Macs where we used photoshop to enhance the clarity further by adjusting the lighting and contrast of the pictures. Next we had to import the pictures into our editing programme Final Cut Pro where we placed each image into the timeline and cut the lengths of each shot. We then had to add our music 'Demons' into the audio timeline, here we had to match different parts of the song in time with different shots we drew to get a clear understanding of what our video may look like.

All that is left to do now is use a video uploading programme to complete the task and then finally embed the video onto our blogs.

Lead Role: Actor Found!

Name: Taylor Gorga
Age: 19 Years Old

We think we've found the perfect person for our role in the music video 'Demons'. My team member Ellis has asked her friend Taylor if he'd be willing to help us with our music video and star in it as the lead character, and the lead vocalist of our band (although there's no singing in the video!). Typical of his 'game for anything' personality he was more than up for it. He won't have a problem adapting to the type of character we're looking for in our video because he actually shows quite a lot of the character's personality in his own personality anyway. If you were to categorize Taylor regarding his fashion sense he would fit perfectly into the 'indie' category being quite extravagant in his clothing. Also he's a keen festival and gig-goer so he's familiar with the musical genre we're appealing to. As he's attended many musical events he can relate to the drug scene which is helpful because drugs is the main theme of our video. As a bonus he's also done plenty of acting and drama before so he isn't going to be phased or shocked at all at some of the scenes we're going to ask him to act. In the video he'll be dressed quite casual in a hoodie, graphic t-shirt and skinny jeans/chinos. He'll wear vans/desert boots/high-tops for footwear.

The Lead Role

This is arguably the hardest decision to make when producing a music video, without a good main character and actor it is going to be hard to class our music video as one of the best. So before just going out and plucking someone off of our Facebook friend's list we had to draw together what sort of person he is going to need to be. Regarding his own personal character he is going to need to be very willing and confident, past acting or drama experience would be great. The character is going to need to express a wide range of emotions, from getting high to crying, from anger to confusion. This is all going to be filmed in public as well so he's going to have to put up with confused onlookers whilst we do the filming.

In terms with the type of character he's going to be acting we're looking for a young and confused adult. He'll be dressed in an 'indie' fashion with a hoody on and skinny jeans/chinos, reflecting his rather careless outlook on life. Some viewers may start to sympathise with him because his drug addiction (or the Demons) has gotten the better of him leaving him homeless and without his girlfriend. The character is also going to be known as Fenech Soler's lead vocalist, although he is not singing in the video, just acting. His face will appear on some of our other products and so the target audience will be able to identify him as the lead singer in Fenech Soler. Here's a couple of images below of the sort of person we're looking for....

Locations

So the different settings we have in our video are a house, a low lit street, a beach and a pier. We decided that an ideal filming destination would be Brighton because it fitted the requirments perfectly, it has dark streets, it has a beach and a pier. The fun fair on the pier is going to be perfect when the character becomes overwhlemed as the effect of the drugs sets in. The scene of the argument and the drug-taking will be filmed at Ellis' house, we felt that the size and destination of Ellis' house is realistic for a house of a young couple.

Brighton

Brighton is known for it's quirky culture and extravagant fashion. The surroundings, people and sights are going to be pefect for our quite abstract music genre and target audience. The main attraction of Brighton though is it's brightly lit and famous pier. When dark the pier is going to look amazing and the viewer will really be able to relate to the character in the video as he squints and shields his eyes from the flashing lights.The fact that he's on drugs is only going to add to his confusion and dizziness.

On the pier is the well known fun fair, this is going to come in so handy as the character walks from one ride to the next looking in bewilderment. We'll also use one of the rides for filming on. We plan to use the Waltzer because this ride is going to throw our character about making him feel more nauseous and dizzy. The spinning motion is going to give us that blurred affect which we are aiming for to create a sense of madness.

As our character's anger turns into sadness he'll make his way down to Brighton beach. This is mainly a stony beach and we're going to make the most of this as our character will be throwing stones into the sea in frustration. He'll then roll around in emotion in the stones. The scenery is going to be beautiful as the sea, the beach and the pier fits into one shot.

Bethan went to Brighton last weekend to take some photos of the area and location to give us an even clearer idea as to what Brighton is all about. Here are a few of her best, we're going to take some more photos of specific settings (e.g the Waltzer) on our next visit to Brighton...

Ellis' House

Choosing a house wasn't as easy as it sounds. It had to be a house which fits the storyline and that is realistic. Bearing in mind that its a young couple's house and that they're living in Brighton it can't be filmed at like a cottage or mansion. So Ellis' townhouse fits into the plot perfectly.

For the video we'll be using the majority of the house, it'll be used at the beginning and end so it is an important set for the video. The video will open with him coming through the front door and searching around the house checking no one is around. Then he'll make his way up into one of the bedrooms of the house to start taking his drugs.

Pitch

The lyrics to the song 'Demons' really helped us to come up with a storyline for our video. We decided to use a drug addiction to be the character's 'demons' and because there's a continuous reference to running away in the song we decided to link that to him trying to escape his addiction.

• To open the video we'll have him sneaking into his house and then making sure that his girlfriend isn't around checking every room. He'll then rush upstairs towards his bedroom where he keeps his stash of drugs.
• Here his addiction continues as he gets high in his bedroom. Meanwhile, his girlfriend returns home and repeats the same actions as he did, and eventually catches him in his bedroom red-handed. This is when a heated argument occurs and the boy storms out the house in anger.
• Next we see him walking down the street endlessly and neither us as a viewer or him know where he's going. We'll use a range of close up shots here to convey his fury and eventually his confusion as the effects of the drugs kick in.
• He'll then eventually find himself at Brighton Pier where he'll come across completely unstable and perplexed. It will now be dark and the bright lights from the fun fair will be exaggerated to confuse him more and make things into a bit of a blur for him. The flashing lights are almost going to be unbearable for him.
• He'll then be filmed on a ride, from his perspective and for us to watch him. The footage here won't be crystal clear but blurry to portray the madness he's going through. He'll then come off this ride feeling really dizzy and rocky.
• He'll stumble to the edge of the pier and grab onto the railings to steady himself. At this point he'll receive a text confirming that there relationship is over.
• To reflect on what he's done he'll make his way down to the beach where he'll begin throwing stones in the sea and rolling about in anger. He decides to start making his way home.
• He makes the same journey home only this time the close up shots will show a more emotional and upset side to him. The walk becomes fast-paced as he desperately wants to reach home to hi girlfriend.
• When he reaches home he knocks on the door but there's no answer, so he begins to thump the door. He gradually slides down the door distraught and ends up sitting by the door, head in hands in tears as the music fades.

Inspiration/Ideas

To really develop our original ideas we've been going through some of our favourite music videos to see if we can gain any inspiration from them so we can put real artists' work into our own video. Firstly we found Emeli Sande's video 'Heaven' and we were enthused by the effects she used whilst filming it. As you can see in the collage below there are orbs of sunlight on the lens of the camera, this gives it a natural look making it look like real life. Also the picture looks slightly blurred and crackled all the way through, this is achieved by using sub focus or filtering the footage. Again this makes the video look like real life because it gives you the impression that it's barely been edited. 







Example's and Laidback Luke's 'Natural Disaster' gave us some fantastic shot ideas. As we found the video we realised that the character in the video fits the role of our main character perfectly. The actor character seems to b high as if on some form of drug and this is really emphasised in the close up shots in the video. The close up shots in this video allow the viewer to access what thoughts are running through the boy's head and visualise how he's feeling. These close up shots make his eyes look really big and bold, making them the vocal points of each shot.

Klaxons - Golden Skans

This song is called 'Golden Skans' by the band 'Klaxons' and it was released on 22 January 2007. The music video is directed by Saam Faramand and is heavily influenced by "Can You Feel It" by The Jacksons. It features a message at the beginning very similar to the words spoken by the narrator in the "Can You Feel It" video. It also features other elements from the Jacksons' video including an inventive and contemporary use of light and dark with all three band members wearing different coloured ribbons, and moving dramatically to the music. 

The music belongs to the Indie genre, a similar genre to our song choice, and the colour scheme and abstract happenings in the video reflect this music type. The video is in a dark setting and the singers seem to be getting wrapped in brightly coloured ribbons, not something we see in your typical music video. 

The lyrics don't seem to correspond with the visuals in this video because the meaning to the lyrics is unclear. The only thing you could say matches the lyrics is that they seem to be throwing gold around in one stage of the video perhaps linking to the song title and chorus words 'golden skans'.


Although the lyrics don't correspond with the video a great deal, there are similarities between the music and the video. The pace of the song is reflected by the pace of the cutting in the video. During the slow verses the cuts are very slow and less exciting but when the chorus drops the visuals become more dramatic and the tempo increases. Also throughout the song we can hear sounds of explosions and these are shown in the video, they are perfectly placed at the beginning of choruses and at drops in the beat for emphasis.


This was the Klaxons first song and so they had to make a big impression. That they did. They illustrated themselves in a very dramatic and extravagant way connecting to their Indie target audience. There are plenty of close up shots of the band so they audience know who they are listening to. The record company are going to want to sell this track by it being recognised by its weird and different video. When people hear the song played on the radio the image of the singers getting wrapped in ribbons will come to their minds. This video represents their image as a band because it is their first step into the music scene.

The video can be perceived as a bit sexual because the artists aren't wearing any clothes however I think that they are just trying to look natural. Plus as I mentioned above the video is quite abstract and so the naked effect adds to it. The artists are very animated in the video, they are smashing and throwing things. The actions are emphasised with the use of over-cranking, this slows them down so we can see the impact of what they are doing.

There are no clear intertextual references other than the obvious 'Can You Feel It' by the Jacksons.At the opening of the video we see a message across the scene, and this is also featured in the 'Can You Feel It' video. Other elements from the Jacksons' video include an inventive and contemporary use of light and dark with all three band members wearing different coloured ribbons, and moving dramatically to the music.

This music video definitely isn't performance-based, it is narrative-based with maybe a hint of concept. The artists aren't singing on stage but are singing along in their video, at the same time their video doesn't have a story to it either. Again making it quite abstract. I'm beginning to think the video is concept-based because it seems to revolve around ideas rather than have any sort of storyline to it.