A2 Planning

Song Pitch:

18,423,806 Youtube views

Record label: Fueled by Ramen

I believe this is a good choice for our music video as the target audience is our age, and therefore we would be able to choose content which would be appropriate with both the audience and the track. The music is also fun and entertaining, which may be more realistic (rather than the pop genre) regarding location and filming. The existing locations are not too extravagant, and I believe that we may be able to replicate the quality of locations.

The existing video for this song doesn't have a concrete narrative, therefore I think it is possible to create a new and original production which differs from the original artists however still corresponds with the same concepts and ideas proposed in the song. In the genre we are considering, many music videos have the theme of a group of people differing from society and refusing to conform with the rules that others do.

This song contains no obscene language or inappropriate content, therefore it would be suitable for audiences of all ages. Due to this, it would be an appropriate song to use for our media coursework. Also, the message of the song is concerning growing up, which is directly applicable to us. This would mean that creating the video would be interesting for us and a popular choice. The song is considerably upbeat, and the video could be made on a low budgett, therefore it's a realistic choice.


First Team Meeting:

During our first meeting, we decided that we were going to do a music video in the indie-pop genre, as this is the genre we were both interested in and would match our initial ideas. We decided our artist would be Lana Del Rey, and listed a number of songs: Blue Jeans and Without You. After researching the artist we found that the variety of the media produced by her can be categorised into a number of genres, including indie-pop, sad core and alternative. However, most agree that Del Rey's music can be described as baroque pop, which is described as originating as 'a fusion of early pop and rock music, specifically rock and roll, with classical music, most specifically that of the baroque and classical eras.' Therefore, we decided to use this genre to research into similar artists/media and conventions.

Questionnaire:

Are you:

• Male
• Female

Age:

• 10-14
• 15-19
• 20-24
• 25+

What genre of music do you like? 

• Pop
• Indie
• Rock
• Alternative
• Baroque
• Blues
• Hip hop/rap
• Jazz
• Reggae
• Other (Please specify in the space provided below)

..................................................................................................................................................

How do you listen to music

• Music videos
• iTunes
• TV Music Channels
• Buying the album
• Radio

How do you wach music videos?

• Youtube
• Facebook
• Twitter 
• TV Channels

How often do you watch music videos?

• More than once a day
• Twice a week
• Once a week
• Less than once a week

Does the music video affect whether you buy the song? (Please explain why below)

• Yes
• No

....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Results:

After collecting the data, we found that those who listened to the genres associated with Lana Del Rey (Indie, alternative, boroque) were considerably equal when concerning gender, with only a small amount of more males being our target audience.

The questionaire showed that the majority of the people who we collected data from and enjoyed the genre of music which we are plannig to use were between the ages of 15-19, with the next popular age group being 10-14. We believe that these age ranges are most familiar with the use of social media and are appropriate for the artist and genre are planning to use. Therefore those between 15 and 19 are our target audience and are who were attempting to attract with our music video.

We found that though the main genre of music listened to by the people we asked was pop, genres associated with Lana Del Rey were also popular with the audience. This includes rock, indie and alternative. She has also been described as 'indie-pop', therefore we believe that this artist will be a sucessful choice in regards to popularity concerning the people we asked.

Researching ino how people view music video was important and will help us when promoting and distributing our music video. The results highlight the importance of social media, as Youtube was the most popular website for viewing music videos, with Facebook also being a successful ways for people to access them.

Genre Questionnaire:

Which of these would you expect to find in the baroque pop genre?

• Black and white editing
• Comical/Ironic effect
• Dance Routines
• Simplistic settings/costumes
• Shots of band/Performances
• Bright colours
• High budget productions
• Low budget productions

Our results show that the most popular conventions they believed they would find a baroque-pop genre music video were editing the video in black and white, low budget productions (however, "some artists of the genre may use higher budget productions in music videos"), and said they expected to see shots of the band/the artist performing. For this reason, we may use black and white in our music video and believe that we will use a recording studio as one of the locations, therefore being able to show the artist perform. 

Which of the following artist do you enjoy listening to?

• Death Cab for a cutie
• Bastille
• Lana Del Rey
• Bon Iver
• Fiona Apple

When we asked our target audience, the most popular and frequent answer to this question was Lana Del Rey. This has causes us to believe that we made a correct choice in artist as she is mainstream at the moment, and makes music that most people enjoy. The majority of people had also heard of/listened to Death Cab for a Cutie, Bastille and Bon Iver, so we will take influence from the music videos/concepts in our own production as well. 

What costumes would you expect to see in a boroque-pop music video?

• Beach wear
• Suit/Tie
• Glamorous dresses
• School uniform
• Casual clothes

Most of the people we asked said that they believed a glamorous dress would be the most fitting for a female artist in the baroque-pop genre music video, which we believe is influenced largely by Lana Del Rey. Therefore, we will costume our artist in this costume, however will try to separate from Del Rey by using different colours and make-up. Casual clothes were also said to be expected, therefore we will use casual clothes in our variety of settings used in the video. 

Which of these locations would you expect to see in a baroque-pop music video?

• Woods
• Night club
• Field
• Recording studio
• Plain room
• House

We found that the most popular setting for our genre was the recording studio, which corresponded with our previous ideas as many of the baroque-pop genre artists use this setting, and it would allow us to show the artist performing. A field and woods were also popular choices, therefore we believe we will use one of these settings as one of our locations for our production, as the surroundings and change in location will be interesting to the audience and can be used to create a narrative (flash backs).

Genre:

After collecting data from our target audience, we decided to research into the genre we were using to discover common conventions/themes that have been used in different videos. We then decided which ones we liked/would think could be successful in our own video and thought of ways in which we could use these in our production and therefore abide by the guidelines and conventions of the genre we are using.

Bon Iver:

• Piano/Studio shown
• Casual clothing: Jeans, jacket and beanie.
• Promotes artist
• One shot: no narrative/interest for viewer

• Sound effects before song to set the scene
• Shadow used to set scene/match genre
• Focus not on artist/shows narrative
• Camera looks through window
• Dissolve through face/long shot of main character
• Outside as setting – focus on this
• Movement of clouds
• Again, not much of a narrative
• Returns to sound effects

Lana Del Rey:

• Silhouettes used
• Vintage feel
• Long close up of artist – promoting them
• Attention to mise-en-scene, detail
• Orchestra, showing instruments
• Light used to show instruments
• Effects used to make the video more interesting
• Make up/special effects/colours give a classic feel
• Light in centre of screen on artist/characters
• Again, not much of a narrative

Fiona Apple:

• Black and white
• Close up of artist – promoting them – rule of thirds – long take
• Handheld camera
• Piano shown/instruments
• Recording studio
• Zooming in/out
• Plain background/setting – draws attention to the artist
• No narrative
• Flash of white used – highlights artist, matches genre

Christina Perri:

• Title of the music video is shown at the beginning of the media product
• Again, focus is on promoting the artist and not on a narrative – same setting/costuming is used throughout the entire video
• The star is constantly shown
• Constant camera movements – the fluid movements match the speed/beat of the music
• The artist's movements also match the music – she is shown walking forward/stepping off the platform as the song becomes louder/quicker
• Tone/colour: Bright white or blue/purple
• Sci-fi element to the video
• Natural makeup/costuming – does not distract the viewer from the artist. Simplicity represents the 'raw-ness' of the song.
• Lighting is very important – lights flash on and off
• Long shot used of the artist – camera zooms out

Conclusion:

After researching artists in a similar genre/with similar concepts as the artist we are using, we found a number of conventions that have been used in multiple videos and which could be possible to use in our production. Almost all of the videos we watched had no narrative, and instead focused on the artist and little else. This seems to be a convention of the baroque-pop genre, and therefore it is important that we successfully portray the artist in our video and make the 'story' a less important aspect. As well as the artist him/herself, the performance aspects of the videos often show the instruments used in the song, as well as the artist singing in a studio. Therefore, I believe using a recording studio as a setting in the production would be fitting and is an important aspect. Researching also has shown the importance of colour regarding the mood of the song and how the artist is portrayed. Black and white was used in Fiona Apple's video, therefore fitting with the genre that most videos are simplistic, and this effect does not distract the audience from the main star. Lana Del Rey has used editing to show her video in sepia tones, therefore creating a vintage feel which correlates with her brand image; classic and sophisticated.

Artist Research:

Elizabeth Woolridge Grant born June 21, 1986, known by her stage name Lana Del Rey, is an American singer-songwriter. Del Rey started songwriting at the age of 18 and signed her first recording contract with 5 Points Records in 2007, releasing her first digital album Lana Del Ray in January 2010. Del Rey bought herself out of the contract with 5 Points Records in April 2010. She signed a joint contract with Interscope, Polydor, and Stranger Records in July 2011.

Born to Die is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Lana Del Ray. It was released on January 27, 2012 by Inetrscope Records, Polydor records, and Stranger Records. Del Rey collaborated with producers including Patrik Berger, Jeff Bhasker, Chris Braide, Emile Haynie, Justin Parker, Rick Nowels, Robopop and Al Shux to achieve her desired sound. Their efforts resulted in a primarily baroque pop record, which sees additional influences from alternative Hip Hop and indie pop music music. 

Del Rey's image is very patriotic, she is often shown with props and settings that represent the USA. She is also often costumed in red, through her make-up or dresses, and is shown to pay attention to the details of mise-en-scene (make-up). This and the classic winged eyeliner she is often shown with gives her a sophisticated, classic look.

Brand Image:

Lana del Rey represents herself as someone with ties to her culture and nationality, with representations of America (flags, wearing red, blue and white) in a number of videos. In her music video Ride (top picture), a mid shot shows her holding an American flag, which matches her 

costuming in colour. This theme is also used in the music video Born To Die (bottom picture),in which she is shown standing in front of an american flag with the love interest of the video. The song 'American' also portrays her interest in the USA. 

Costuming:

Great attention to detail and mise-en-scene is shown in Lana del Rey's music video. She is often shown in strong, winged eyeliner and the attention of the audience is often drawn to her eyes because of this. The colour portrayed through make up and costuming is often red, shown through lipstick or what she's wearing. This portrays the artist as glamorous and sophisticated, giving a vintage and 'classic' representation.

Album covers:

            

In her album covers, a mid shot is often used of the artist in the centre of the frame. The setting is often simplistic, drawing the audience's attention to the artist, as is the costuming. The album cover photos are all taken outside to give colour, therefore making the photos more interesting, however in the her latest album the artist deciding to edit the photo in black and white. This, again makes her the only thing the audience will notice, and also corresponds to her classic and sophisticated theme.

Lana Del Rey creates a very controversial and dramatic image, constructing herself as a reflection of the dark material used in her songs. In a newspaper article she recently stated “I wish I was already dead”, then explaining further with “I don't want to have to keep doing this. But I am.” The morbid statements, which have been reflected in her own songs (Such as Dark Paradise) draw a wide audience in as people are interested in the type of person who would make such a bold declaration. Del Rey represents herself as being completely open with her issues, showing that she often puts her negative emotions and experiences into her songs. Therefore, my artist will include the deep emotional connection to her music in her brand image, however I may omit the morbid nature of Lana del Rey.

Our brand image:

When creating our own production, I believe that it's important to change the portrayal of the artist as the concept is so similar to her own work. Therefore, I believe that taking inspirations from other artists of the same genre will help us to create a diverse and unique brand image. Therefore, we are attempting to use different artists to do so. We will be using a dark haired artist to differ from Lana Del Rey, and will be using the darker aspects of the genre (influenced by Fiona Apple and Anna Calvari) to give the artist a different appearance from Del Rey, and also portraying her in casual clothes to branch away from Lana's sophisticated and classic appearance. We believe this will give the artist a darker feel which still corresponds with the song.

Mise-en-scene Survey:

What would be an appropriate setting for a baroque-pop music video? 

Street: 

• Quiet, 
• Busy/Full, 
• Quiet, later at night, 
• night life

Room:

• Messy
• Teenager Style 
• Careless
•  Boring 

Props: 

• Nail varnish 
• Phone
• Camera (Party scene) 
• Cleaning teeth

Our findings show that our target audiences expected that a quieter street late at night would be more fitting for a baroque-pop music video, and the style of bedroom they expected matched their age (adolescent). Props that were most popular were phones and cameras, again fitting the interests of our target audience. 

Treatment (Version 1):

Annotated Treatment:

Conclusion:
From the annotations, we realized that some of the ideas may be difficult to carry out (such as the panning shot) and we need to consider the costuming and settings we are planning to use. Whilst a school and house setting may make the artist more identifiable to the audience, they are not neccessarily creative and may not interest them.

Final Treatment:

(Changes in setting/concept explained below):

Pitch:

Pitch to Class:

Conclusion to feedback:

After presenting our pitch, my partner left the course and I found a number of issues to work through. The majority of issues were trying to match the artist (concerning budget) and we found that the idea we had didn't do this. Therefore, we made the following changes:

• Song: The song 'Born to Die' already had a music video which was portrayed in a high budget way which we were unable to replicate. Therefore we changed our song choice to 'Without You' by the same artist, which we believed had a narrative through the lyrics, therefore meaning we could use that as inspiration in our video. 
• Settings: Our current settings were a bus and the street, which didn't match the image of the artist and didn't portray the luxurious feel. We decided some of the settings would be in a room, focused on a mirror to portray the artist's confusion with identity, and we believed that using an appropriate prop would allow us to portray the idea of luxury. Other settings include a church and the recording studio (this is often used in the baroque-pop/indie genre).
• Concept: To match the lyrics, we changed our initial idea to one that would match the song. Previously we'd had a teenager walking through the street, however now we have decided to have the artist questioning her identity due to fame, and reminiscing about a love interest.

Song:

Amended Pitch:

Pitch to Focus Group by chloepricemedia

Pitch to Focus Group:


Feedback:

Conclusion:

After pitching to my focus group, I've discovered that some settings may be unrealistic (such as the simple wall setting, as I don't have access to the equipment needed to make the shot interesting) and I need to consider the costuming ideas more. In particular, using a dress or setting where the colour red is featured was suggested as this portrays love, which is a key element in my narrative.

New Treatment:

4th team meeting:

In my fourth team meeting, I looked at the music (specifically the lyrics) and made a list of what concepts/locations/props/narratives would work with the song. Some of the main ideas were:

• Flashbacks - fills in the narrative, field setting.
• Idea of glamour/fame - shown through costuming, make-up and props.
• Love interest narrative - breakup.
• Settings: Church, field, mirror/dressing table, bedroom, window, recording studio.
• Performance: Showing piano/artist in recording studio to fit the genre.

Pitch to Focus Group by chloepricemedia

Draft One of Storyboard:

Music Video Storyboard

Draft Two of storyboard:

Conclusion on Improvements:

To improve my storyboard I need to think about how I am going to create a peak in the narrative, which could be complimented by using a specific shot that stands out, and that the music video is building to. Therefore, I need to consider how I will do this with the costuming, make up and setting to create a dramatic effect. The narrative also needs to be developed further, which I will do by including more of the love interest in the music video towards the peak of the music video, possibly having the artist sing to him/run after him to beg him to take her back.

Storyboard (Final):

Shot List:

Location and Prop List:

Risk Assessment:

Permissionn Letter:

Problem Solving:

• Lack of footage: Make a schedule will all people involved in the music video before hand to ensure that everyone is available, and we are able to film.
• Weather problems: Check the weather forecasts to see when weather will be suitable to film and arrange filming days then.
• Shaky/unprofessional shots - use tripod and dolley when filming.
• Leaving equipment - making a list of all equipment I have collected and tick off each one when leaving a location to ensure that I have everything.
• Format issues with camera and Mac - check that the video footage works on the Mac before beginning filming.
• School absence - if ill make sure to reschedule times that are available for everyone else and focus on editing until able to begin filming again.