Whilst we remained with the same characters as initially decided upon, we dramatically changed our casting as we were unable to arrange for actors from Sandra Reynolds. The actor playing the strong willed character is Zoë Desgland. We chose Zoë as, being an A Level drama student, she'd had previous experience performing to an audience and in front of a camera as all of their exams are filmed. She would therefore also have a good critical understanding of her role, and we needed someone who could adapt their characterisation to suit any idiosyncrasies we wanted them to fit in. Thinking of the costume of Zoë's character, we wanted her to wear dark colours, and dress very practically, as this illustrates her determined and "tough" character.

We chose Charlie Frazer to play the role of our intelligent character due to him also having acting experience. He, also, is currently doing a drama A-Level and has recently starred as the leading role in The Maddermarket's George's Marvellous Medicine, therefore he will be used to following a script and direction and will have the versatility needed to play any given role. In the interview, he came across as confident, calm and quite willing which we found very important as we needed him to play the role convincingly under time constraints and the pressure of performing in front of a camera with the rest of the cast as onlookers. In regards to costume for Charlie's character we wanted his clothing to hold connotations of intelligence and be able to convey this in the short frames of time the audience would see him, so we decided in particular that in semiotic terms glasses were a feature we definitely wanted to use.

We then had issues surrounding the casting of the leader, finding it essential to have someone with prior acting experience. The only other drama students in our school other than the afore mentioned Zoë and Charlie, are Abigail Lewis and myself (Meghan Kelly), and because of Abigail having issues with attending filming due to prior commitments with dance, we decided I would have to play the role. However, given I also am doing a drama A-Level, and have experience with LAMDA grades it did mean I would be comfortable performing, and I would undoubtedly have an understanding of the role being part of the creative process. The costume of this character, we wanted to be a middle ground of the two others, with a practical approach to the way they dress, but displaying a lighter side with literally lighter clothing.

This is our first video diary discussing our idea so far and updates on locations and cast. We talk about the issues with our cast and how we are attempting to overcome the situation.

For our film we plan to film in roughly two locations, one a forest/woodland area, and another in a rundown building (preferably abandoned). For the forest type area we plan to film at Thetford Forest which is fairly local, and has an open meadow type area we can film the last shots.


Our second location consists of an abandoned building. Naturally this is more difficult to find but we managed to find Sovereign House based in Anglia Square. Built in the late 1960's the building used to be a HM Stationary Office before being written for demolishment in 2012.

For our cast we originally planned to hire the three main actors from the Sandra Reynolds website (http://www.sandrareynolds.co.uk/). We picked out three actors who resembled our fictional characters we created, and how they matched our original visions.

Character One: The Leader


We wanted this character as we feel they would contribute to the development of the other characters by acting as a controlled figure, and a combination of the two extremes of the other characters.

Character Two: Strong Willed

We wanted to have two characters other than the "leader" who would have more extreme characteristics. We wanted to have a strong willed character would challenge the antagonists, and catalyse the conflict whilst being an interesting character themselves.


Chapter Three: Intelligence/Clever


However, we decided against this due to difficulty finding actors that both suited our roles, and were able to travel to the locations without problem.

Establishing shots.



























SW running, runs through a puddle.

Within the bracket of music videos, it is often seen that either one of or both narrative and live performance are used. We have opted to focus solely on a narrative idea, as we felt like the story we’ve interpreted from the lyrics would be most effective without the alienation cuts to live performance would create. It would allow the audience to become more involved with the plot, and emphasise the strong imagery heard in the song itself.


However, our narrative is not linear, as the main body of the narrative (the scenes that contribute to the progression of the plot) is fragmented with shots of the protagonists’ respective groups. This was in order to create suspense by reinforcing the tension between the two groups of people and building up to the climax of the story, whereby the coupe is reunited. Without these shots it may have been harder for the audience to understand why there was any separation between them in the first place.

0-23 seconds -> establishing shots (ref Rashimon)
23-45 seconds -> characters taken away (change character on beat)
45-1:01 seconds -> in their respective locations (interrogation)
1:01-1:21 seconds -> running (cuts between the beat)
1:21-1:40 seconds -> planning escapes
1:40-1:58 seconds -> escape (split screen)
1:58-2:17 seconds -> running
2:17-2:37 seconds -> slowmo flashback
2:37-2:55 seconds -> running
2:55-3:15 seconds -> out of forest (cut on 'na's)
3:15-3:24 seconds -> trio meet and face back to back
3:24-3:27 seconds -> wide shot of guards running towards them (ends on cliffhanger)

Once deciding our song choice, we noted down some ideas that we created after analysing the lyrics.

Multiple people (tight-knit friend group/ family)

When deciding upon the structure of our music video, in regards to footage, we had three options open to us:




- Lip synced, live performance



- Narrative



- A mixture of both options


All of which have their own advantages and disadvantages that we considered.



Live performance:



Using live performance is a good way of introducing the band/ singer to their audience and aiding marketing and more people will know what the band/ singer looks like. This is also a cheaper and quicker option as, in theory, no props are needed, only the band/ singer and their instruments. However, there is the issue of timing the lip syncing correctly and the playing of any instruments to the recorded song. Failure to have the band/ singer playing/ singing in unison can make the video look unprofessional and rushed.


Narrative:



The use of narrative in a music video can help convey the intentions behind the lyrics and make the song more memorable by bring the story to life and creating a more dynamic video. However, it can mean that the song is more linked to the story than the band/ singer therefore making it a bad choice in terms of marketing and advertisement; yet there are ways of combating this via a strong presence on social media and possibly the band/ singer acting in the video (although the latter is not possible in this instance).




A mixture of the both:



Combining both is the most common of choices, as it holds both the positives of live performance and narrative. However, it could be argued that the narrative being broken up in this manner negates the immersive nature of purely narrative music videos.



Based on this, and our initial ideas, we decided the best method of dividing our footage was to focus solely on a narrative. This is due to the fact we wanted the video to be captivating and dramatic, and felt that the lack of limitations that comes with fictional stories would allow for this, and enable us to create an original music video.

Our final song choice was 'Smile' by Mikky Ekko. Below are listed the reasons why we chose the song, and how it stood out compared to the others. The main characteristic was the contradicting lyrics within the song, and how they appear negative against the positive beat.



Without the extra audio of the music video the song is 3 minutes and 27 seconds long.

To decide on a song Meghan and I decided to list some songs each, and then eliminate them together. Listed below are the original songs we listed before the final one was chosen:

Firstly the time lapse is incredibly effective in both the narrative and setting the scene. The narrative is unique and well shot, along with the various camera angles and effects. It's clear there was a lot of time gone into this video, seen by the lighting and effects. The miming for example is set in a room with a lamp, emphasised by the time of day, allows us to learn about the narrative and story line behind the lyrics. The cross cutting to the miming from the character significant as it allows you to follow the story as well as feel the emotion and mood of the character.

                                                                     Tove Lo - Habitats



Firstly the music video is already effective by the use of time lapse and the location of London. Clearly the narrative is based on city life, and the hardships of a relationship in this setting. The mixture of shots really highlights the struggles of the character, and the ongoing narrative. When lip syncing I felt the actor was a little off a times, and would not constantly look at the camera, however this is personal preference. Also the editing of the footage with the beat of the music makes it more effective, and something we wish to try in our own video.

                                                              Labrinth - Express Yourself



First off the narrative is defiantly unique and snappy. I found it a little difficult to follow at first, however got the flow as the video went on. The use of location is bold and completes the narrative, helping the audience connect with both main characters. The editing is also clever, as we get various silhouettes of the second character, along with various lyrics.

Hayley Kiyoko - Gravel to Tempo (0:00 - 1:00)

Within this one minute, it's clear to see the video is well thought out and has a unique narrative. Firstly we are introduced to our main character (played by Kiyoko herself) who is miming the lyrics as she enters the school. We are also introduced to a 'popular' group of girls, who seem to be the antagonists of the video. This goes against conventions of your typical music video as the main character is female, along with the antagonists, which is rare.

Next the setting is an American school, which is fairly common in music videos. The setting is light and filled with various props of a typical school, adding to the realism.

We also get various camera angles, such as close ups, pans and tracking shots. These are typical in most music videos as it gives variety for the audience, and different ways the music video can be filmed. The close ups mainly focus on the characters when introducing them to the audience, again typical in most videos.

Finally the clip conforms to the character miming along to the lyrics, something which various artists use in their work. It gives a sense of realism but also can be used to break the fourth wall.

To create our own music video we needed to find some inspiration. Below are music videos listed that we found inspiration from for our own version.

The particular combination of qualities in a person or place that makes them different from others.
In a work of fiction, one character is typically the central focus of the story. This person is called a protagonist while the character who opposes the actions of the protagonist is the antagonist. Characterisation is the process of how the author presents the character in order to make them seem real to the reader.

In works of narrative (especially fictional), the setting includes both the time and geographic location in which the story takes place. A literary element, the setting helps initiate the main backdrop and mood for a story.

A narrative or story is any report of connected events, real or imaginary, presented in a sequence of written or spoken words, and/or still or moving images.

Narrative can be organised in a number of thematic and/or formal categories: non-fiction (such as definitively including creative non-fiction, biography, journalism, transcript poetry, and historiography); fictionalisation of historical events (such as anecdote, myth, legend, and historical fiction); and fiction proper (such as literature in prose and sometimes poetry, such as short stories, novels, and narrative poems and songs, and imaginary narratives as portrayed in other textual forms, games, or live or recorded performances).
Narrative music videos are those that tell a story. There are many different ways a story can be told in a music video. A narrative can be edited alongside the performance of the artist so that the video cuts back and forth between elements of performance and narrative. Sometimes the artist can be involved in the narrative in some way and can even be lip synching as they act in the narrative. In other examples the artist can be performing in the same location as the narrative is occurring. Having a narrative generally means there is a clear beginning, middle and end but sometimes narratives can be a bit more abstract and actually the narrative progresses very little from the start to the finish.

Narrative music videos are those that tell a story. There are many different ways a story can be told in a music video. A narrative can be edited alongside the performance of the artist so that the video cuts back and forth between elements of performance and narrative. Sometimes the artist can be involved in the narrative in some way and can even be lip syncing as they act in the narrative. In other examples the artist can be performing in the same location as the narrative is occurring. Having a narrative generally means there is a clear beginning, middle and end but sometimes narratives can be a bit more abstract and actually the narrative progresses very little from the start to the finish.

There are five stages the narrative can progress through:
1. A state of equilibrium (All is as it should be.)
2. A disruption of that order by an event.
3. A recognition that the disorder has occurred.
4. An attempt to repair the damage of the disruption.
5. A return or restoration of a NEW equilibrium

Back in the 1960s, few acts recorded music videos. There was no MTV, and in an age of endless touring, artists couldn’t often make it to TV studios to perform. Having flirted with the idea of promotional films for their songs lifted from the movies, A Hard Day’s Night and Help!, The Beatles later recorded a series of promotional films for their singles after giving up touring in 1966.

While “I Am The Walrus” might be the most well-known Beatles “video” from this time, it’s the “Strawberry Fields Forever” promo film that is most important, featuring reverse, slow motion, fades, camera filters and slow mixes, and a collection of unusual, slightly imposing camera angles.

Queen’s revolution of the music video, an experiment that the band repeated again and again with some fascinating results (such as “Radio Gaga” and “Innuendo”) kick-started a new aspect to the music industry, one that spawned the world’s most famous TV channel and the most famous video of all, Michael Jackson’s “Thriller”.

Although MTV now shies away from its former role – partly out of pretensions of legitimacy as a producer of TV shows, and partly because its owners fear the competition of YouTube – it will forever be synonymous with the pop music scene of the 1980s and 1990s.

For our A2 coursework we had the choice to either create a short film or music video. Me and Meghan Kelly decided to work together to create a music video. This is to match a song of our choice along with a dig pack to promote the video.