Location

A lot of the music videos proffessionalism depends on the locations it is shot at. For this reason we spent a long time planning where we were going to film. We have decided that we use the following locations:

Stefs House - The beginning where Rory is waiting for his girlfriend to come home.

Range Rover - The first viewing that we realise Stef is cheating on her boyfriend.

Hilton Hotel - The scenes that prove that Stef is having an affair. Rory then realises what is happening in the hotel room when he arrives.

New Barn Park - The scenes that were shot in the park with the lake in the background.

Cast

Rory Phelan

We have used Rory as our main character due to the fact that he works as a Hollister model and does performing arts. This kind of performer makes the music video look more professional.

Stef Jansen

We used Stef because we needed a female character with acting experience. Stef also does performing arts so we thought she would be a good performer to use.

Henry Goldsmith

We used Henry because he is stefs boyfriend. This way stef would be able to perform the 'cheating' storyline with him.

Animatic

Pieces Anamatic from Stefaceylauren on Vimeo.

Target Audience

We decided to use this actor due to the fact that he fits the target audiences description when dressed correctly. We dressed him with a 'hoody' because this is the stereotypical dress code for 'mainstream' society. We have made this decision because we believe that the music video will have a greater effect on the specified target audience if they can relate it to their own lives.

We have decided to target our music video at 'mainstream' people in todays society. The stereotypical mainstream person will commit petty crime, be a bit of a street rat, race their car and be known in general as a chav. These mainstream people of todays society are between the ages of 16 and 24.

UK Tribes Information and Stats Research

Mainstream

The group is described as 'A fun-loving, unassuming bunch who still rule the nation - welcome to the Mainstream.'.

This segment has little interest in ‘seeing the world’ in the future. (Index = 78 vs. all 16-24 year olds)
Having children is very important to this segment’s future (44%) compared to all 16 to 24s (39%)
34% of this segment definitely agree that they “love spending time with my family.” This is slightly more than the total for 16 to 24s (31%)

Mainstream people in society are related to the following brands and media:

Alternative

Alternative is a globalised Tribe with eclectic and influential taste in games, music and film, but no real need for fashion.

This segment ‘definitely agreed’ that they “like to share music with my mates” more often than all other segments (Index = 117 vs. all 16 to 24s)

They loved going to gigs more than most

(47% definitely agreed compared with 29% of all 16 to 24s) Only 9% saw having ‘a high powered job’ as ‘very important’ to their future. This contrasted negatively with the total of 16% for all 16 to 24s.

Alternative people in society are related to the following brands:

Source http://uktribes.com/mainstream

Storyboard

We decided to create a storyboard so that we knew exactly what happened throughout the narrative of our music video. We also thought that it would be a good idea to note down what is happening in each shot to give us an idea when we relate back to the storyboard of what we were planning to do. With these drawing we now plan to go on and produce an animatic of our music video which will include our music.

Ideas For The Narrative

We have now thought of two different ideas tat we can use for our music video. Our first music video idea was a little basic and after seeking advice from our teacher; we decided that the piece would not be as detailed or go into as much depth as we need to to gain high marks. However, our second ideas feedback was a lot more positive. This idea involves a more detailed story which can be shown through the narrative and can also be linked to the lyrics of 'Pieces'.

The second idea was created in relation to the lyrics of the song. The word pieces features a lot throughout the song so we have decided to base our music video around this lyric. This is because it relates to the songs name as well as the main lyric which means that there is a lot of emphasis on that lyric compared to the others. One of the main problems we have had to think about though is the passing of time. Our music video is not going to be based on a single day, it will probably be based over two days. This means that we are going to have to constantly show the passing of time to make sure that the viewer understands. We decided that the best way around this problem would be to relate back to clocks throughout the music video so that the audience know what time it is and what time has already passed.

We then created the mood board to show the different aspects we could include in our music video.

Pieces Ideas

We then created a mood board for the song 'Pieces' to show all of the ideas that we had come up with to include in our music video.

Me and Lauren worked together to find the pictures that we needed. We then gave these pictures to Stephanie who then created the mood board as a whole. We thought that working like this would integrate all of our ideas and would help us bond as a group.

Pieces Lyrics

We then printed out these lyrics and annotated them so that we could note down a few of our ideas.We also then highlighted the lyrics that we thought meant the most to the listener.

After deciding to pursue 'Pieces' we sent a letter of consent to RAM Records:

Dear Ram Records,

We are A level students and are writing to request your permission to use one track Pieces by Chase and Status ft. Plan B. With your permission, this track would be used in our current A-level Media Studies project, which involves creating a music video for a popular music track, as well as producing an album and a magazine advert for the artist.

If I received your permission, this track would ONLY be used in an educational context and be viewed by my media class, my teacher and the OCR exam board moderator. It would NOT be released to a large audience or uploaded to any public video websites.

The artist and your company would of course be fully recognised throughout pre- production and the final video itself. A copyright notice, with wording supplied by you can be included in the records of the project. If this is required, please send full details.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Regards,
Lauren Clarke
Stef Jansen
Sam Facey

Pieces

We decided as a group that we all liked Pieces by Chase And Status (Ft. Plan B). We then decided to have a look at the lyrics to analyse the song further:

You don't care,
About me,
Anymore,
Thats why you, you wanna break my heart,
Into pieces on the floor.

If you don't care,
About me,
Anymore,
Why do you, you wanna break my heart,
Into pieces on the floor.

You don't care,
About me,
Anymore,
Thats why you, you wanna break my heart. (Echo)

I remember when I used to feel sutin, I remember when I used to feel sutin.
I remember when I used to feel sutin, I remember when I used to feel sutin.
I remember when I used to feel sutin, I remember when I used to feel sutin.
I remember when I used to feel sutin, now-o-ow-o-ow I'm just cold inside.

I remember when I used to feel sutin, I remember when I used to feel sutin.
I remember when I used to feel sutin, I remember when I used to feel sutin.
I remember when I used to feel sutin, I remember when I used to feel sutin.
I remember when I used to feel sutin, now-o-ow-o-ow I'm just cold inside.

I remember when I used to feel sutin, now-o-ow-o-ow I'm just cold inside.

I remember when I used to feel sutin, now-w-w-w I'm just cold inside.

If you don't care,
About me,
Anymore,
Why do you, you wanna break my heart,
Into pieces on the floor.

You don't care,
About me,
Anymore,
Thats why you, you wanna break my heart...

I remember when I used to feel sutin, now-o-ow-ow I'm just cold inside.

I remember when I used to feel sutin, I remember when I used to feel sutin.
I remember when I used to feel sutin, I remember when I used to feel sutin.
I remember when I used to feel sutin, I remember when I used to feel sutin.
I remember when I used to feel sutin, now-o-ow-o-ow I'm just cold inside.

You don't care,
About me,
Anymore,
Thats why you, you wanna break my heart.....

Song Choice?

We decided as a group that our next stage of the project would be to start looking at the types of songs that we could use for our music video. I thought that it would be a good idea to see what different ideas I get for a music video from different songs. Once I had thought about my own opinions I then printed off the lyrics to the songs that I liked most and I decided to look into more depth about the songs meaning. As a starter I analysed the following songs:

Cassius by Foals Hands Off My Cash, Monty by Two Door Cinema Club Fire by Kasabian Everything You Wanted by Kele Halcyon by Delphic This is An Emergency by The Pigeon Detectives Golden Skans by The Klaxons Something Good Can Work by Two Door Cinema Club Sweet Disposition by The Temper Trap Silence Is Talking by Reverend And The Makers Helicopter by Bloc Party Farewell To The Fairground by White Lies Jump In The Pool by Friendly Fires Black And White Town by Doves Pieces by Chase And Status (Ft. Plan B) Flux by Bloc Party Let You Go by Chase And Status (Ft. Mali) End Credits by Chase And Status (Ft. Plan B) Mr Brightside by The Killers Breakeven by The Script One More Chance by Bloc Party Watercolor by Pendulum

Video Analysis of “Mr. Brightside” by The Killers (American Version)

“Mr Brightside” is a song performed by the Las Vegas based band The Killers.

The video is inspired by the film “Moulin Rouge” and thus is set in a burlesque show. The music video could be described as a 'typical Moulin Rouge extract'. The video tells the story of a love triangle between the lead singer, actor and actress. This supports the use of inter-textual references.

Mr. Brightside is a rock song and this is reflected in the video. The use of an electric guitar and a drum kit, which are associated with rock music, suggest to the audience that it is a rock track. The genre is also mirrored in the style of the band. The video shared a rock genre concept of performance based videos, as well as incorporating a relationship between the visuals and lyrics. This supports the use of genre characteristics.

The mise-en-scene in the video reflects a number of aspects of the film. The aesthetics of the room mirror is used in “Moulin Rouge”. The dark colours such as the reds create a sexual environment. It is also the perfect setting for showing a love story in the “Moulin Rouge” style. This is a good use of iconography because the visuals clearly relate to the era and genre that they are trying to represent.

The costumes in the video also reproduce inter-textual references from “Moulin Rouge”. The men are wearing expensive suits and the women are wearing luxurious dresses. All the costumes are representative of the late 1800’s and early 1900’s; however they have a modern twist to relate to the age of the target audience, teens and young adults.

Enigma is used to create a mystery for the viewer as well. They do this at one point by blurring out the picture so that you can't see the two people in shot clearly. The characters clearly are main parts in the video however, you cant see what they are doing in shot.

In this video the band is given a lower status. They are the ones who are working, playing for the audience on stage, whereas the audience are rich. The lead singer is also seen as inferior to his girlfriend when she rejects him. This makes him seem like an ordinary person.

This music video is likely to have a number of audiences, the main being teenage girls and women in their early 20’s. This is due to the image of the band, which is likely to catch the attention of young girls who find them attractive. Men and women of all ages could also be fans of the track and the video if they relate to the lyrics and themes of the song. They may enjoy singing the song as it has relevance to their life and therefore lead them to watch the video out of interest. Men could also be a target audience as there are a number of women in the video who are portrayed in a sexual manner, lifting their skirts and revealing their legs and dancing in a sexual way, which may entice a male audience. Fans of the film “Moulin Rouge” are also a potential audience as they may be appealed to the themes of the film and be interested in seeing how the music video related to the film in general.

The lyrics of the song are represented in the video however; it’s more of a lyrical story being told. The video tells the story of two men and a woman in a love triangle. The whole story takes place within the context of a burlesque show. It uses the concept of voyeurism a lot as well to create the feeling that the dance routine is from the show, "Moulin Rouge". This mirrors the lyrical story of how the singer’s girlfriend is with another man because he kissed another girl. This supports that there is a strong relationship between the lyrics and visuals throughout the music video. There is also a relationship between the music and the visuals as well when the tempo of the instrumentals quicken up so do the cuts.

The majority of camera shots of the band are close ups and medium close ups of the lead singer. This is due to the popularity of the lead singer and the image he creates for the band but also because it is quite an important demand of the record company to promote the band. There are also a number of long shots, which allow the viewer to see more, making it feel like you are in the room with the band.

The main edit of the music video is fast cuts. This helps create a sense of urgency and confusion, which is reflected the emotions of the lyrics. The fast cuts also coincide with the pace of the music. However, the most important feature of the cuts is that it creates a fast cut montage. This means that the audience don't have enough thinking time to take all the visuals in on their first viewing causing them to have multiple viewings. This is another reference to the link between the visuals and the music. The use of fast cut edits thought the video also make it almost impossible for the viewer to see everything in their first viewing which helps the video to sustain repeated viewings.

Overall I think the music video for Mr. Brightside is very affective. It successfully illustrates the song in a unique and creative way. It does this as well as including band and dance performances. It is able to reach a broad variety of audiences and therefore attracts a large number of people due to its likeability. It uses edits, camera shots and angles effectively in order to make the video interesting which encourages the audience to watch it again. The way in which the video is filmed also creates a more personal relationship between the band and their fans. Compared to the British version of the video it is very complex which makes it more attention grabbing.

Both the English and American version of the music video can be seen below. However, I chose to analyse the American version due to the fact that the English version is fully based on performance.

The Killers - Mr. Brightside (American Version)

The Killers - Mr. Brightside (English Version)

Coursework Brief

A promotion package for the release of an album, to include a music promo video, together with two of the following three options:

• a website homepage for the band;
• a cover for its release as part of the digipak (CD/DVD package);
• a magazine advertisement for the digipak (CD/DVD package).