Location Permission Letter

We needed a permission letter to use particular locations. We have sent one to Lewis as we want to use his flat and need his permission to prove we are not trespassing.

Advert Designs

Story Boards

These are the story boards we are going to use when filming so we know what to film. They will not be followed 100% as some shots may not work and be hard to film. Also we may come up with new ideas when we actually come to filming and seeing what actually works when we're in the locations so our initial ideas may change a bit.

Talent release forms

We needed to get talent release forms from all members of the band we created.

We need these to explain why we need to use them and when.

Concept

Our whole concept we have decided on is a typical love/breakup story. However we didn't want it to come across as the typical 'pop' genre so we created a more violent idea. We will show the couple together for a brief moment at the beginning but show her slamming the door and leaving because of his violent temper. We then are going to focus the story mainly on the male actor. We want to show him going 'insane' in his scruffy flat rather than moping about like a typical pop breakup. We want to show him turning to alcohol and smashing his flat and life up. We also want to have a band playing in a studio to show the typical rock genre of the band playing together in a studio and lip synching as a whole.

Shooting Schedule

We need a shooting schedule so everything is planned and we all know when and where we need to be and at what times so we can film all our shots. Below is our shooting schedule that we all have a copy of.

Props, Makeup, Equipment

Above is a list of our props, makeup and equipment. We mostly need equipment such as instruments and alcohol bottles to create the whole band image playing together and also to show why he is going insane and creating the typical alcoholic. The costumes are simple and easily accessed as the actors and members own black jeans and a white top so it works well.

Location Shots

For part of our music video we have decided to film the band in a studio. We found a place in Croydon that you can rent out for four hours to use their space and for extra money you can use their instruments as well. This place was called Scream Studios. We discovered they had 16 studios we could pick from to work in. Below are some of the pictures of ones we could use. We decided to use the 3rd room as we felt the layout would work best for filming if we rearranged the room slightly.

This was one of the three rooms that we narrowed it down too. We decided not to use this one however because the room was to narrow and it would be hard to film as we wouldn't be able to fit the whole band within the shot as it would look too squashed and tacky. Also it would be hard to get different angles as their isn't much room to move around in

This was the second room that we narrowed it down too. This room had a better shape than the one before as it was wider so would be a good size to film lots of different angles in. However we found that the bright, vibrant colors would represent our artist wrongly so decided we needed a plainer room with the same sort of size.

This was the room that we decided was the best to use. We would re arrange the layout so the room was long ways. This meant we would have room to shoot the band in the whole frame and also have room to move around so we could get different angles and still fit everyone in. The light, wood floor and white walls gave off the right feel we wanted.

We also wanted to shoot in a rundown, scruffy flat. We wanted the sofa to be a center piece of the frame as the main focus point because we want our actor to be sitting on it going 'insane' throughout the song. We also wanted the sofa to be in the middle because we want the actors to be able to walk all around behind the sofa and be sitting on the sofa in the same shot.

Track Permission Letter

We had to send a track permission letter as we don't legally have the rights to use it without permission from the record label who own it. We researched Aveneged Sevenfolds and found their record label was WMG. We then found a 'contact us' link for this label and filled out the email asking for permission and explained why we wanted to use it. Below is the email sent.

CD Design Draft

Above is my draft for our CD design.

Image Annotation

I want my band/artist to all look quite similar. I want them to wear black/dark skinny jeans with a black belt. I also want them to wear a black, grey, or white t-shirt with some sort of skull/pattern/design on it to make it look like a Rock bang. The band could mayb wear some mens braclets and a necklace which would also fit with the genre. Lastly i want them to have long, dark hair and to wear some sort of black trainers/shoes. With all the band members looking like this it will represent them as a Rock band together.



These photos are some examples of what the outfits should look like

Lyrics Annotation

Roles

In my group there is 3 members, myself, Will Haydon, and Tom Thistleton. We have allocated specific roles equally so that we can have a specfic role each. My role is director which means im in charge of making sure each shot is filmed properly with long enough time each end to be able to edit. Wills role is in charge of location and mise-en-scene of where our video is going to be shot and when. Toms allocated role is in charge of costume and people to star in our video.

Technical Tutorials - Photoshop

In our technical tutorial on photoshop we had to create the front and back cover of a CD. The lesson before we took photos against a white back drop of people modelling for the cover. We used the white screen so that it would be easy to cut the background out and just have the main person when we would come to creating the cover. When we picked the photo we wanted to use we uploaded it to photoshop.
There are many tools we used on photoshop. The first tool i used was the magic wand and it cut away the white background of my photo so that Sam was the main image. I then used the paint bucket to make my whole background black on a different layer. Another tool i used was the test tool so that i could put my band name 'wackness' on the front and on the spine of my cover. I went on Dafont.com to pick a more interesting font and downloaded it to photoshop to use. It was called 'spiderfingers' and went well with my 'Rock' genre cover. I also used the selection tool and eraser to select and rub out certain parts that looked out of place. To finish off i adjusted the layer style and put an outer glow around my artist which made the orange paint stand out more and shine. I also used the paint brush to manually draw around him in orange. Below is my final piece.



Front Cover




Back Cover

Song Details

The song we have chosen is Almost Easy by Avenged Sevenfolds. We chose this song because it was a fast paced, loud song which is the type of song we were looking for. It comes from the Rock genre because most of their songs have the upbeat, fast paced song which fitted perfectly. Avenged Sevenfolds also come from that genre so we went through their songs and decided we liked the sound and pace and also the lyrics of this one the best.

20. Audience Research 2

After asking 20 people to complete my questionnaire, these are the results i discovered. Some of the results i put into graphs as shown. Mainly i found that young people aged into RnB and would expect the music video to be fast, up paced and bright whereas older people prefer more classic slower music.

19. Audience Research 1

My questionnaire that i will ask 20 people what they expect to see in a promotional package for an artist

1 .Name: ………………..

2. Age? ……………….

3. Gender? (Please Tick)

M …. F ….

4. What ethnicity are you?

…………………………………………………………………..

5. What is your favorite genre of music?

………………………………………………………………….

6. What would you expect to see in that genre music video?

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

7. Do you prefer solo artists or groups? (Please Tick)

Solo Artist … Groups …

8. Do you enjoy watching music videos? (Please tick)

Yes … No …

9. Why?
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

10. What would you say was your favorite music video?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

11. What do you think makes a good music video?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

18. Advertisement Research - Rock Magazines

My first magazine analysis was of 'Rock Sound'. It has the typical Rock genre look to it. The band on the front are all males with black, grey and white clothing on. The typical dark colours are used apart from a light blue background however it it still obvious to recognise what genre it is from. The facial expressions on the band members faces are the typical 'screamy' look towards the camera as though they are singing. The other mini headlines to the right also talk about other rock genre bands such as Good Charlotte. 'A day to remember' in the middle right to the page also gives of the rebellious, devilish look as it is in capitals and bold which is almost as if it is being screamed at the audience.

My second magazine advert is also from the Rock genre. It has alot of similar conventions as the magazine cover above however this time there is only one man in the centre on the front cover. The man is also wearing dark colours (like the band above) and has bright red hair which also represents the dark, devil, evil, sort of Rock look. He is staring directly at the camera with quite a blank expression but with his fingers pointed out as a gun to the audience which creates an uncomfortable, dangerous atmosphere for the audience. The bold magazine title 'Kerrang!' is bold and in capitals as though its being shouted at us again. This links in with the genre being 'screamy' and 'headbanging'.

This cover is also from the rock magazine 'Kerrang'. It is again similar and has a famous band as their main focus point (being 'Bring me the Horizon'. Again the typical black, grey and white colours are used. The band members all have long hair and serious faces. They have blood make-up on their faces which represents the death look literally and also the title 'Bring me the Horizon' is in bold capitals and in the colour red which is associated with the devil and evil. The black background and other mini adds that are in black and white also show the typical rock genre for the audience.

17. Record Label research

Good life recordings - Good Life Recordings is a record label based in Belgium. The label specializes in hardcore bands as it was founded by the lead vocalist 'Edward Verhaeghe' from Nations on Fire. It was founded in 1996 and it has released many highly significant bands of the second and third wave of hardcore, as well as the majority of the signed bands that are part of H8000. Between 2000 and 2003 Good Life made a deal with Trustkill Records to release limited Picture discs and compilations of some of its bands. Bands signed with the label at the moment are A Traitor Like Judas, Angel Crew, As We Fight, Congress.

Another label that deals with Rock is Hopeless Records. It is an independent record label founded in 1993 which is located in Van Nuys, Los Angeles, California. The other genres of music they use are punk rock, pop punk, post-hardcore, or alternative rock, but some also include elements of various genres of metal. The label was founded by Louis Posen. Bands signed to this label are Thrice, Anarbor, All Time Low, There For Tomorrow, and The Human Abstract.





The major record company that deals with some Rock music is Warner music group. It is the third largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry, making it one of the big four record companies. Warner Music is one of the major companies that cannot trace its ancestry to either Columbia Phonograph Company or Berliner Gramophone. The roots back date to the founding of Warner Bros many years ago. The headquarters for the company is in New York, United States. It includes bands like Avenged Sevenfolds, The Darkness, and DevilDriver

16. 3 CD Covers - Rock

As Blood Runs Black
This CD cover is for my chosen genre. There is an extreme long shot of men standing with their backs to the camera looking at the moon which is central in the photo. This creates a dark, on edge feeling as we are not able to see their faces and their bodies are only black silhouettes. The main colours used are black and green and the title is in a green colour with a black outline. The title 'As Blood Runs Black' which is at the top of the cover looks as though it has been scratched in as it is very messy but sharp. You can also see in the men’s hands that they are holding which what looks like axes and shovels which gives of the idea of a murder or something dangerous as it is also set in the middle of the night as their is a bright, white full moon.




Bring me the Horizon
This is another CD cover for my chosen genre. This is different from the one above however it still sticks to the same obvious conventions. It is very weird as it is a mid shot of a young girl looking with wide open eyes directly at the camera which creates an uncomfortable connection with the audience. She is also holding someone’s bloody intestines in her hands which is very weird. She has no facial expression and her makeup is pale which portrays the idea of 'death'. She is wearing a black dress but isn’t portrayed as a 'pretty going out' dress as she also has bold red blood splatters up her arms. This again gives the sense of evil like the cover above with the idea of murder, and, blood. The background is white which makes your eyes concentrate mainly on her.



We are the ocean
This CD cover is different from the other two. It is more like a cartoon drawing than a taken photograph. It is again set at night time with the dark blue sky with 6 yellow hot air balloons in the sky. There is a light house in the background which sets the scene of 'the sea'. At the front left there is a large drawing of a woman with very long green hair. The long hair represents the genre as most of the members within the 'Rock' bands have long hair. The hair also blends in with the title 'We are the ocean' which is to the left of the cover. The font is very ‘swirly’ and thin like the women’s hair. Green, black and a little bit of white are the colours mainly used again.


From these 3 CD covers it is clear to see that they are all very different however use the obvious same conventions as each other such as colour and people. All the models used within the frames have blank facial expressions and are portrayed as dark. They use mainly dark colours and backgrounds and are even set at night time.

15. Conventions of Rock music videos

Hard Rock/Heavy metal have many obvious conventions which are;
-Play instruments (guitar/drums)
-Have a main singer (quite screamy)
-Music is very loud/fast
-Colours are dark (black/red)
-Band members are very 'head banging'
-The band members have long hair which swoops across their face
-Main singer will come very close to the camera
-Fire/darkness is associated in the videos
-The narrative is still usually involving a 'love story' or affair

14. Rock Video Analysis

Evenessences - Bring Me To Life
The video starts with a strong wind sound and a soft tempo when a girl begins to sing. It is set at night time and the music becomes stronger when we see the girl falling out the window which instantly makes the 'rock' genre recognisable. There is alot of fast jump cuts that make the song faster and stronger. You then hear the male sing. He sings with a band who are also playing instruments which aredrums and electric guitars. The whole story line represents a 'death' feeling as the female lead singer jumps out a window in a nightgown with her long black hair blowing in the wind behind her. The cold, misty, windy night also creates a dark atmosphere for the video. The camera tracks out at the end to an extreme long shot to show the old, tall, crusty building.



30 Seconds To Mars - Kings and Queens
The video starts with an establishing shot of the orange sunset with the band members all standing there but you can only see them as black silhouettes. This also creates a night scene which you then see throughout the video. There are many close ups of the lead singers singing to the camera which creates a connection with the audience. A sort of story used throughout is loads of people riding bikes somewhere wearing very abstract things such as gas marks. The musics beat then cuts of when someone on the bike gets hit by a car in slow motion. The band then use an abstract idea of a horse running in slow motion towards the camera. They use a live audience of loads of people in the background for a certain part of the song of all the people riding the bikes.



Bullet For My Valentine - The Last Fight
The video again is set in a dark scene. It starts with an extreme close up of the band members eyes which creates an instant connection with the audience which also makes you feel on edge and easy. It has many whip pans as the song is very fast and loud aswell. It has many close ups of the electric guitars and the band members head banging and jumping around. The basic story line is of a fight and you see many close ups of the mens hands, face, mouth and other body parts of them sweating. The story is in slow motion which shows the difference between the narrative and the band members. The lighting is very low key and dark which creates the 'rock' genre type of look.

13. Mood Board - HardRock/Heavy Metal

This mood board for our chosen genre shows that the genre consists mainly of bands that are made up from males. The colours used are mainly black and red to represent evil and the devil. These colours are used within the band members clothes, makeup and hair colour but also within the whole look to them, such as the backdrop at a concert will be black. It shows the bands instruments; that are mainly drums and electric guitars. The band members mainly have long, dark hair and wear dark colours (jeans, t-shirts, trainers). They also have lots of tattoos up their arms such as half sleeves etc. The music is played on Kerrang Radio as you can see from the logo. Head banging is used a lot at concerts and when performing to the heavy metal music as we can see from the bottom left picture. The overall general look is quite scruffy/casual unlike other genres such as pop and indie.

12a. Low Budjet Music Video - Trencher

12. Low Budjet Music Video - Hifana

11.Goodwins Theory

Andrew Goodwin identified three different approaches to the structure of a music video according to the relationship between the sound and the image. He claims that a good music video is ; A clip that responds to the pleasure of the music, and in which that clip makes the music visual, either in new ways or ways in which accentuate existing visual associations.


Illustration:
The music always cuts on the beat (rhythm)
The images will illustrate the literal meaning of the lyrics often with the band singing and dancing.
The band image will be how you expect it according to the genre; such as dancing, singing and playing instruments.


Amplification:
The music cuts on the beat but can cut off beat to emphasis features
The lyrics will not always represent an obvious image but may use a narrative that would not necessarily be picked up from reading the lyrics alone.
The band takes on fictional characters in the video's narrative and do not represent themselves. E.G: The main singer being in love in the music video story


Dis-juncture:
Music cuts off beat. Sometimes (but not always) this could be seen as badly edited video so must be done so that it fits to that band image.
The video will show images that do not relate to the lyrics, sometimes this is used by bands who are already well established who can afford to take the risk for their 'image'
The band take on an image that is nothing like or the complete opposite of the expected image. E.G: the lead singer of Texas that dresses up as Elvis.
Disjuncture goes against the 'norm' and have an established fan based that can afford to take a big risk to create a mass 'abstract image'

10. Vernallis' Theory

Vernallis theory:
The kindest cuts, functions and meanings in music video editing. She talks about the difference between pop videos and Hollywood Editing

Pop videos:

Uses continuity editing in small sections but also uses disequilibrium/counterpoint
Rules of continuity are purposely broke. E.g.: 180 degree rule.
Uses lots of motion, E.G. Dolly, tracking, and jump cuts
They are normally very dynamic.
Uses lots of angles and graphic matches
Close ups are essential within pop videos.

However Hollywood uses many different techniques:

Hollywood:

Mostly uses continuity editing throughout which makes sure they follows rules such as the 180 degree rule.
Uses graphic matches, match on action and shot reverse shots to make the story clear
Motion is used but only when needed to create a mood or atmosphere because to much motion is undesirable
Uses lots of angles but they have a specific meaning to them unlike music videos.

9. Bordwell + Thompson - Let Forever Be (The Chemical Brothers)

Looking at the different dimensions of editing according to Bordwell and Thompson