Risk assessment

Risk Assessment

Risk assessment is important when creating a music video as it identifies issues that may go wrong when film. By creating a risk assessment table as shown below it highlights what are the possible dangers and enables us to consider it whilst filming minimizing any injuries. As a group we discussed how we could prevent these issues from happening before filming our music video.

Planning Cinematography

Planning Cinematography 

What is the purpose of cinematography?

The purpose of the cinematography reflects the narrative of the music video in which it provides the audience with a better understanding of the song. Different camera shots are used throughout the music video providing the audience with different perspectives. Within music videos different camera shots are used to connote different meanings. For example a high angle would be used to show the vulnerability of the artist or character. Positioning of the artist within the cinematography is also important as it is conventional to see the artist positioned above other people within the camera shot. This is because it connotes their status and like Dyers star theory, makes them appear extraordinary for the consumer.

What cinematography will you include and why?
Within our music video we are going to use different cinematography. Throughout the performance element of our music video, we are mainly going to use close ups and mid shots. This is because it positions the artist in the center of the frame in order to introduce the artist to the audience. This also connotes the artists importance and focuses their attention on only the artist rather than on the background. It is also effective for the target audience as they are able to see the artists facial expressions when singing the lyrics and allow them to relate to the emotions of the artist. Therefore this enables the audience to build up a relationship with the artist as they get a better understanding of the song.

Another camera shot that is going to be used throughout the performance of the music video is a long shot.We decided to do this as it will show the artist playing the guitar reflecting the artists talent. This will further promote the artist attracting the audience. This camera shot will show mise-en-scene elements such as location and costume. This is important as the locations we decided to use in the video have significance. One performance location is on the white cliffs of Dover which connotes the artist being alone and isolated. The artist is going to be seen in casual clothing which will be seen in the long shot. This is so it conforms to Dyers star theory showing that the artist is 'ordinary' however 'extraordinary' for the consumer. The artist is going to appear extraordinary as he will wear known labelled items of clothing. An example of this is when the artist is wearing a Super dry jacket. Therefore it portrays the artist as fashionable in which the target audience will look up to.

However within the narrative element in the music video, we are going to use various camera shots that creates a continuous flow throughout the video. This is crucial as the purpose of the narrative is to give the target audience a better understanding of the song. One camera shot we are going to use in particular is a a close up. This is going to be used in different scenes to highlight to the audience different connotations to the iconography we have chosen to use. For example at the beginning of the video a close up camera shot is going to be used to show the female looking through a photo box in which she finds a photograph of her and her ex boyfriend. She then goes on to rip the photo in half connoting the characters feelings of anger and sadness. This is effective as the audience empathize with the character enabling them to build up a relationship. It also gives them a more depth understanding to what the song is about. This is going to be used again later on in the music video when there is a flashback of the male and female playing cards. A close up camera shot is going to be used to show the king and queen of hearts. Each of the cards symbolize the male and female characters and connotes to the audience that the female 'played him' and she won as she cheated on him and they are no longer together. Therefore the narrative helps the audience get a better understanding to what the song is about and are able to relate to the characters.

How is your cinematography conventional to your music genre
The cinematography used in the music video is conventional to the pop music genre as close up are often used when the artist is seen to be performing. This is because it is effective in introducing the artist to the target audience and allowing them to build up a relationship with the artist through their facial expressions. Therefore our music video conforms to the stereotypical conventions of a pop music video. Long shots are also conventional to see in this particular music genre as it gives the audience a better understanding of the narrative through mise-en-scene elements. The artist is further promoted through their costume which portrays their personality and a long shot helps do this. Different locations are conventional to see within a pop music video. For example a isolated location connotes the feelings on loneliness and a long shot shows this.

How does it build a relationship with your target audience?

The cinematography within the music video creates a continuous flow throughout the narrative. This effective as it gives the audience a better understanding to what the song is about and allowing them to empathize for the characters. The close up camera shots also highlight the persons facial expressions and therefore they are able to see the artists emotions of the lyrics. This therefore enables the target audience to build a relationship with the artist as they can relate. Cinematography reveals the costumes of the artist, identifying the artists genre and portraying the personality of the artist. It is conventional for the artist to be seen in casual clothings so they appear 'ordinary' for the consumer and therefore making them seem down to earth and approachable. This encourages the audience to build a relationship with the artist as they view them as a role model and look up to them.

Planning editing styles

Planning editing styles

Why is editing important with in a music video?
Editing is important within a music video as it creates a continuous flow throughout the video. Placing camera shots in a certain order in the music video shows the style of music video: Performance, narrative or concept based.This is effective as through displaying the narrative, the audience a better understanding of what the song is about and the hidden meanings within the video. If performance based is used within a music video it enables the audience to build a relationship with the artist through various camera shots such a close ups. If the music video is narrative based, the audience are able to relate to the characters involved and therefore are able to empathize with them. Different genres tend to used different styles of editing. For example if the song choice belongs to the Dance music genre, it is conventional to use fast pace editing to match the rhythm of the music. If the song belongs to a indie genre, it is conventional to use slow pace editing with is because the pace of the song is usually slower and requires a slow paced narrative to further explain the meaning of the song.

What editing styles are you planning on including and why?
At the beginning of the music video, we are going to use slow pace editing to introduce the artist to the audience. Various camera shots will introduce the simplistic location (a dark room) to the audience focusing all their attention on the artist. This is effect as through multiple camera shots such as mid shots and close ups the audience will be able to build up a relationship through his facial expressions. Slow pace editing will be seen in the beginning as it matches the beat of the song creating a smooth continuous flow.

However, further throughout the pace of the song increases. Therefore the camera shots will change parallel to the beat of the song. Fast pace editing will be shown when the narrative of male and female are arguing in the car. This is effective as it will highlight to the audience the building tension between the two characters and how the relationship is falling apart. This will keep the audience engaged and encourage them to keep watching the video. We decided to show a change the pace of editing throughout the video as we felt it would be a effective technique to show a contrast between the positive and negative.

Editing techniques are going to be used at the beginning of the music video when the female is seen to be ripping a photograph of her and the male character. However it will be shown to rewinding appearing as if she is putting the photograph back together. This is going to follow with happy flashback of when the couple were happy. At the end of the video we are going to use the same camera shot however show the female ripping the photograph implying that they are no longer together and that it was 'Impossible' to stay together.

How are your editing styles conventional to your music genre? 
The editing styles used within our music video conforms to the conventions of the pop music genre as it creates a continuous flow through out the video. It is a generic convention to use slow pace editing within a pop music video as it enable the video to display the narrative of the song. Therefore like Goodwin suggested, the link between the lyrics and visuals give the audience a better understanding of the meaning of the song. It is also conventional to connote the underlying tension between the characters within the narrative through the editing. By increasing the pace of the editing which is parallel to the beat of the song, the audience are able to empathize with the characters and relate to the instability of their relationship. Other pop artists such as Demi Lovato use this technique in her music video 'Give your heart a break'.

How will your editing help to build a relationship with your target audience?
Throughout the performance element of the music video slow pace editing is going to be used. This is helpful in enabling the audience to build up a relationship with the target audience as through camera shots such as mid shots and close ups the audience are able to see the artists facial expressions. Therefore they are able to see the emotions of the artist therefore allowing them to empathize with him. These camera shots are also effective in drawing the audiences attention only on the artist as there is nothing to distract their focus. This also applies to the narrative as by having a continuous flow throughout the audience get an insight into their relationship and how the females betrayal destroyed the relationship.

Lyric Analysis

Lyric Analysis

In order for the audience to get a better understanding of the song, we decided to make our music video conform to Goodwin's theory by showing a relationship between the lyrics and the visuals. Below is a image showing the work we created as a group during class highlighting where the different scenes will take place within our music video. This is effective as it helped us decided what scene we could do that correlated with the lyrics engaging the audience.  

The first narrative scene we are going to show is the scene where the female is going through a box of photos of her and her ex boyfriend. This will be shown when the artist sings 'Someone told me I should take' to imply the character retrospectively looking back on the memories of the relationship. This is also effective as it introduces the characters to the audience allowing them to build up a relationship with them. This further enables the audience to relate to their role within the narrative and get a better understanding of the song.

When the lyrics say 'You have won' the narrative will show the female and male couple playing a game of cards. This is effective as it connotes that they 'played' each other and that the won as they are not longer together. Through various camera shots such as close ups and mid shots, certain playing cards are going to be used to symbolize the characters. For example the male will lay a Queen of hearts whereas the female will lay and King of hearts. This represents the characters as a couple whilst reflecting on the fact that they work against each other to win. 

We are going to show further evidence of a relationship between the lyrics and visuals as when the lyrics say 'And my heart is broken' the narrative is going to show the female finding her old heart shaped necklace in the box. This will then follow with a flashback informing the audience that it was a gift from her ex boyfriend in which he is shown placing the necklace on her. This will therefore highlight the significance of the iconography whilst emphasizing the feelings of loss and hurt. 

'falling out of love is hard' is going to be played parallel to a happy narrative scene. As a group we decided we could show the couple messing around and having fun in a shop. Through the use of iconography such as a trolley we are going to show the male pushing the female around laughing. This is effective as it shows the audience that they were happy once and loved each other. This will form a contrast to the later narrative where the couple will be shown to fall out of love with each other. Numerous happy narrative scenes are going to be shown throughout the video, one of them being the couple in a photo booth. The male and female will be scene wearing silly iconography items such as big glasses or a hat. This will further promote the personalities of the character portraying them to be fun and happy. This enables the audience to relate to the characters and see the contrast in the relationship to when they were happy and how they grew to dislike each other.

When the lyrics say 'All we had is gone now' a narrative scene will be used to show the couple arguing. The characters will be seen sitting in a car in which they begin to argue and the female storms out the car. The lyrics enable the audience to understand that the relationship has come to an end and that there is nothing left to save. The lyrics 'Impossible' are going to be played continuously through both the narrative and performance to reflect on the idea that it is impossible to love someone who betrays you. The narrative to our music video will suggest the female betrayed her boyfriend by cheating on him even though it will not be clearly shown within the narrative. We decided to do this as we felt it would be effective in showing the tension between the characters and keeping the audience engaged by guessing throughout the video.

A further narrative scene will be shown where the cards are built into a tower in which they are set of fire and crumble into piece. This is going to be shown when the lyrics say 'Empty promises will wear' symbolizing that the relationship has fallen apart. The connotations of the fire will highlight the artist's feelings of anger and pain caused from the relationship allowing the audience to sympathize with him.

Through completing a lyric analysis it has given me a better understanding of the variety of scene we want to film for the music video and what camera shots will be needed to make it seem effective. It also helped us as a group to get a better idea of where we would like the different scenes to be placed throughout. Through showing a relationship between the lyrics and the narrative, I feel as though the audience will be able to relate to the emotions felt by the characters and get a more depth understanding of meaning of the song.