OUTLINE
This treatment will be informing you the basic
elements of our music video, the music genre and our overall plan. I have
teamed up with two other people in my class which I believe was an appropriate
way to take the project further. As a group, we are well diligent in different
areas of the project which is a benefit to us. This will show how creative,
open minded and time managing we all are.
The name that we have chosen, as a group for our
artist is Treller Rose. It is a very unique name which defines to be dynamic and out going. As a whole, we reckon that the name suits our genre and
the theme because it is uncommon but in a proficient way. The title of our
chosen song is called Youth; this represents the characters in our music video.
Youth is the time of life when one is young, but often means the time between
childhood and adulthood. Its definitions of specific age range vary as youth is
not defined chronologically as a stage that can be tied to specific age range. As a group, we also chose the name of our record
label which is going to be Overground records. There is no specific meaning
behind the name, but from our previous project that we produced, this name that
has grown to us.
Our chosen music genre that will be used throughout our project is Indie/Indie
folk. But what is it? Indie folk is simply modern folk music, generally with
country and rock influences. It usually refers to music which is acoustic in
nature as well as being lyrical, melodic and story-oriented. Fortunately, my
group we all listen to similar music genres therefore we were able to choose a
song and a genre whereby we all agree on. To conclude, it is not a huge issue
during the time when we had to choose one.
One of the foremost aspects of producing a music
video is the target audience. A music video won’t even matter if there is no
targeted audience especially the ones who are most likely to suit the music
genre. An example would be pop groups like One Direction – they mostly target
young teenagers ages 12-15 year olds. Nowadays, the group has been gaining
younger fans due to the music that they produce as well as their marketing
within the music industry. Our target audience for our chosen genre generally
targets people ages 14+; although 14 is a common age where they start getting
into Indie. We’d also like to target our audience who mostly enjoy listening
towards the Indie alternative/folk whereby the audience could relate and
appreciate the aesthetic of the lyrics.
The reason that it’s becoming popular is due to the
record labels releasing snippets of information about upcoming artists and new
songs to entice the audience to watch their music. The use of social medias is
also a benefit for Indie artists because a lot of our targeted audience uses
social networks such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr etc. and therefor
it increases their popularity.
For the style of our music video, me and my
classmates decided that the appropriate style that we will use that links well
with the music genre is Interpretive and Narrative. This is because, most of
the Indie music videos that you probably have watched used the styles we have
chosen which could be popular in the Indie music genre. However, we are going
to be adding some performance in our music video such as the subject lip
syncing as well as having a narrative alongside. We believe that it is going to
be very effective overall and it fits well with our storyline within the
narrative pathway.
An attempt of emailing the record labels for our
chosen group and song, they both replied but we are still seeking of approval.
OVERVIEW CONCEPT
The song that we have chosen to continue further with our project is
Daughter's 'Youth' which is also going to be the song for our Music Video. Youth
is an Indie folk song. The song communicates dark messages within Daughter’s
songs, telling of losing someone close to you and the pain that comes along
with it. The idea is we will have the artist Treller Rose, lip
syncing throughout the performance scenes as well as the drummer appearing
and performing. There will be a lot of straight cuts whenever it switches from
the narrative scene to the performance scene. This will engage and catch the
viewer’s attention, and we think that it will be very effective within the
music video.
The main artist will be representing the whole story-line of the music
video, while the drummer is representing passion. Both of the performers will
be appearing in the first verse of the song- most likely to be using a mid-shot
and a wide shot. Location wise, it is going to be based in the drama studio. The
music video will start off by showing a time lapse of the sky, where you will
be seeing the clouds form in fast motion, this part will be shown during the
instrumental bit of the song in the beginning. Then, it will cut straight to
the artist who is in a dark room lip syncing the first line of the lyrics.
In the second line of the first verse, we introduce the main character
within the narrative parts of the music video who will be wearing a mask and a
hat. Most likely to be using a wide shot, in the forest. This gives a general
idea to the audience on where the location will be based. During the third line
of the first verse, it cuts through to the artist who will be standing in the middle
of the drama studio, the studio lamp shining on top of her and it switches off
after she lip-syncs a line. In the first
line of the second verse, the main character discovers a box in the middle of a
forest and gets picked up due to curiosity. The drummer is then introduced
along the lyrics of “…corrupted lungs.” We will most likely to use a long shot
of the drummer with its drum kit. And then the part “Setting fire to our
insides for fun…” this is where an intense drumming part will begin, the
drummer begins to play the drums which creates tension towards the audience. As
the tension of the song is building up right before the drum solo starts, along
the lines “The lovers that went wrong” the main character opens the box, a
straight cut is used to switch from the main character opening the box to the
drummer performing its drum solo to the main character running.
On the third verse, first line “We are the wild youth” we will be using
the photography room as it enables us to use the projector. In the same verse, more
characters will be appearing. Planning it out, we shared our ideas on how we
would present each of the masked characters in a metaphorical way. An example
of how we will present one of the characters is: Mask one will jump out of
nowhere and jumps on top of the main character in the narrative scene, which
will be representing craziness. As the song continues, we introduce the
rest of the masked characters; there will be a total of 5 masked characters
that will be introduced.
An intense fight scene will occur along the lines of “Well I've lost it
all, I'm just a silhouette,
a lifeless face that you'll soon forget…” where a smoke bomb will also appear during production.
This will create aesthetic especially when it is within the forest. It also
represents how people will be trapped around a smoky environment. The fighting
scene, however contrasts with the lyrics as it represents dissipation and
violence over a property and the peak of addiction – which is the box. The box
is one of the main aspects in our music video; it represents life. Life is
trapped inside the box since addiction cannot be escaped therefore we are
trying to show that to many people, it is very difficult to get out of
addiction. Moving on to the next scene, we will be showing the artist lighting up a
cigarette. Usually, the youth sees cigarettes as a way of distracting
themselves from pain and tension emotionally. A mid shot will be used
when the artist lights up the cigarette and a close up of the mouth will be
done when the smoke comes out. Towards the ending of the music video, we
will be showing the main character taking its mask off and then there will be different
shots of the masked characters taking off their masks to reveal their identity.
The camera will zoom out into a long shot when they are all staring at each
other, in relief.
CHARACTERS
Treller Rose – main artist who will be lip-syncing
during the performance scenes in the music video, she also leads and emphasises
the music video’s purpose and emotions. In the set, she will have puffy hair
and dark make up. Treller Rose represents the whole concept.
Drummer – the drummer will appear during the
performance scenes along with Treller Rose. The drum parts in the song will be
emphasised; a contribution to the song and music video. The drummer will be
wearing a hat and a mask. The drummer represents power and passion.
Main character (of the music video) – the main
character will be shown during the narrative scenes of the music video. She
represents ‘Curiosity’
Mask 1 – the first mask character will appear
during the narrative scenes. This character represents ‘Craziness’.
Mask 2 – will appear during the narrative scenes
after Mask 1 appears. This character represents ‘Selfishness’
Mask 3 – this character appears after Mask 2
appears. This character represents ‘Lost in Control’.
Mask 4 – will appear during the narrative scenes
alongside with the other masked characters. This character represents
‘Secrecy’.
Mask 5 – will be the last masked character to
appear in the narrative scenes. This character represents ‘Violence’.
LOCATION
The locations that we intend to use are the drama
studio (located in the school grounds) and the photography studio (which is
also located in the school grounds). This is because, first of all, the drama
studio is suitable for our theme – the way it is presented reflects back to the
music well. The photography studio, especially the use of a white wall is
useful because it gives us full access to use the projector in order to show
either a moving imagery or a still imagery during production and filming.
The next location we intend to use for our music
video is Richmond Park. The reason for this is because it compliments well with
our characters such as wild creatures where they appear in forests. This links
back to being lost; a forest is where anything can happen. Most indie music
videos tend to use natural locations rather than filming it in a studio or the
use of green screen. An example of a group that uses forest as a location
throughout their music video is ‘twenty-one pilots’ Ride’. In my opinion, I think
that it is a really good example to present because it somehow compliments with
what we want to do for our music video, location wise.
VISUAL ELEMENTS/ MISE-EN-SCENE/STYLE CHOICES
The key lighting,
we will be using in the drama studio and the photography studio is low-key
lighting with the use of studio lamps. This will be able to complete the
concept of our theme which communicates the viewer and they will be able to
feel a connection. Whereas, we will be using natural lighting when filming in
the forest. During pre-production, we will be adding a filter/gradient as it
will give the music the aesthetic and quality. Most Indie music videos uses
gradient/filter which follows the convention well. Adding on to this, we will
be saturating and toning down the clips because of the natural lighting. Indie
music videos would want the viewers to focus on the lyrics of the song as well
as the conceptual part of the music video.
The
clothing that we will be using are masks and hats which will be worn by the
characters in the narrative scenes of the music video. A significant meaning
behind the costumes is the fact that our society still believes that our youth
is wild. All of the characters that will be appearing will wear dark colours
such as all black. This will draw the viewer’s attention towards the hats and
the idea of hiding the character’s identity in the beginning using the mask.
However, the artist will differentiate from the rest of the characters. She
will be wearing a navy blue jumper with a black choker; this will show an
aesthetic of the artist as well as her fashion. She may not be wearing designer
clothes or expensive make up but she aimed to wearing simple make up and just
wearing simple clothes. It shows how Indie artists do not focus much on looking
glamorous and luxurious in music videos but instead, they want the viewers to
focus on the emotions and feelings of their expressions.
The props
that we will use during production in the drama studio is a drum kit; it is
placed in the centre of the room. When filming the drum scene, it will be
visually effective to place flour substances on top of the drum skins as the
drummer plays. You will be able to see the substance flying in different shots especially
when the lighting is quite low-key. We will also be using smoke bombs when
filming in the forest during production. I got the inspiration and idea of
using smoke bombs as a part of the production from my previous experience
whereby I had to film outside of school when I helped out a friend. Also, I did
a few research just by watching music videos. Blood, Sweat and Tears by BTS (a
KPOP sensation) have used the idea of smoke bombs in their music video (screenshot below); this
has given me full innovation that I had to include it as effects. We will be
using the smoke bomb in the forest to give it more of an atmospheric feeling to
the audience. A cigarette will be shown in one of the shots at the last verse
of the song where the artist lights one up. Lastly, one of the most vital props
that we are going to be using is a chest box. It is a great significance and it
is relevant in the entire music video.
My group
and I have chosen these props specifically because, they symbolise different
meanings when they are shown in the music video. For instance, the chest box
will represent the life of all the creatures, the smoke bomb will represent the
desire that these creatures are fighting over and the cigarette links to
addiction since people are addicted to it. In most of the Indie music videos,
they tend to use props which could possibly symbolise something. For instance,
in Seafret’s music video for ‘Ocean’ the main character used a homemade superhero
mask and cape to symbolize that everyone can be a superhero whether you’re shy,
depressed, or an outcast.
A mixture
of both narrative and performance video would meet the needs of our target
audience because we are able to follow the codes and conventions of an Indie
music video. Therefore, people who are a fan of Indie music are more capable of
enjoying the music video, especially those who like the aesthetic of it.
EQUIPMENTS AND RESOURCES
· Two cameras DSLR
(Nikon D3100 & D5000)
· A tripod
· Projector
· Studio lamps / diffusions
· Computer (for editing)
PROPS
· Masks (x7)
· Smoke bombs (for effects during Production)
· Hats (x7)
· Make up (for the main artist)
· Drums (for the Drummer)
· Box/Chest
HOW WILL YOU BE ABLE TO ACCESS THESE?
Me and one of my peers are able to access a DLSR
camera. This will enable us to film good quality footages which leads to good
results. Fortunately, our media department provides other equipment’s such as
tripods and studio lamps. The use of tripod will able us to film steady
footages and we would not struggle when multitasking. The use of a studio lamp
will enable us to give great lighting effects especially when we use it inside
the drama studio. The media department also has access to an editing software
(Premier pro) and a computer.
For the props, we pretty much have access of the
masks, hats and the box because one of the people in my group owns them. As a
group, we would have to purchase smoke bombs within the shops or online-
whichever is faster. The music department owns a drum set so we will ask for
permission if we are able to use it for filming purposes. Make up will be done
by someone within the group as well as the hairstyle and fashion.
POSSIBLE STRUGGLES AND HOW YOU’LL OVER COME IT
- In one of our scenes, we will be handling smoke bombs within the forest- there may be some difficulty with lighting smoke bombs due to the weather and it could potentially not work on the spot which is time consuming. In order to overcome this issue, we will practice lighting one beforehand so we know what the result is instead of doing a trial and error.
-Try and be careful with the surroundings especially in the forest, there could be tree branches and sticks everywhere which could injure someone.
-Studio lamps bring their own hazards when it comes to production and these hazards should be taken seriously as they could cause injury or death. We will ensure that we go through the health and safety procedure once again just to double check whether we understand and it is clear enough. The heat from the lamp studios can burn or melt objects which are close by so we will make sure to keep them away from other objects.
-Be careful when handling professional equipment’s inside the drama studio due to the lack of light since it is very dark, the crew might trip over the wires from the studio lamps. Make sure to wrap the wire around the studio lamps and if there is any excess wire, make sure to use take and stick them down to the floor to make sure that they will not be in the way.
-During post-production, we will be facing a lot of technical difficulties such as mishandling the software or errors when using the computers. If there is an issue overall, make sure to ask for help instead of trying to leave it behind. Or use Google and YouTube for tutorials and help if there is no one around.
