'Scrapbook' Of Ideas For My Music Video

I have decided to create a 'Scrapbook' of ideas for my music video. I will paste relevant images of ideas and relevant notes. I basically want to build a creative overall idea for the video by brainstorming small ideas.

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Where will I shoot the video? (ideas) ... Some shots in a photo studio (black backdrop) e.g. the first shot. Outside my house: greenery area with trees, white spooky looking building could be used. Bar at auntie's house for the bar shots, her garden for some of the hunting shots. Interior of house for closet/possibly first shot.


First shot: wearing wolf mask, wearing posh but old fashioned looking clothes. Sprawled on a sofa bed/preferably red to show she is posh. Could even use a still image for this shot as no movement from the she-wolf is needed (in this shot) so I am able to easily edit colours and lighting.

The mask should be 'creepy' looking and slightly realistic but also have an exaggerated look about it to make it seem surreal and therefore even more creepy. I should make the clothing worn when wearing the mask feminine, preferably a dress, to emphasis the fact that the wolf is a 'she-wolf.' I could also make sure that her hair is visible around the mask to also emphasise the fact that the creature is a 'she wolf.' I can buy a mask from a fancy dress shop as this will be easier then making one and will also look more realistic.








The She-Wolf should look as feminine as possible to define the character - a 'she' wolf. Facial expressions should be determined and sexually appealing. The outfits for each scene should be planned before the day of shooting to create specific looks. Her hair should be visible over the mask to show she is feminine. Make-up should also be specifically planned before hand to create certain looks e.g. in one part of the video she should look innocent and natural - so little make-up. In another part she should look as if she is going clubbing so a lot of make-up is needed.
I will do the character's make-up and hair by myself and will ensure I have everything on the day from the mask to the costume. I may need to ask the character to bring some specific clothing so it will fit them if they are a different size to the clothing I own. She should wear something of a red colour as this connotates to being both passionate and dangerous which she is both.

Scenes the scenes should also be planned carefully to ensure good quality of lighting and to ensure they have the specific 'look' required in the music video. Props are also included in the scenes and should also be specifically and carefully noted before the day of shooting. Props could include curtains, blankets, drinking glasses, the disco ball, the homemade 'moon' and certain lights.

The location I am hoping to shoot at is an old, posh large house. The rear garden is perfect for the outdoor scenes as it is wood-like and large. There is also a side garden if needed for some alternative shots of the exterior footage. The interior of the house is posh and 'fancy' which is perfect for the first shot and also other alternative shots. There is a bar in the outbuilding which looks realistically like a pub which includes bar pumps, bottles of alcohol and glasses. There is also a snooker table at the other end of the bar which I could creatively use in some shots. There is a long driveway leading to the house which I could also use creatively in the music video as it is surrounded by trees and another large garden. The exterior of the buildings is black and white and there are iron gates linking to the gardens. I could use this to include some shots of the 'she wolf' running around the corners chasing her 'prey.'

If it is not possible to shoot at this location I could shoot the exterior shots on the green area outside my house which is scattered with trees which give it the required 'woody' look and there is a small, spooky looking white library in the middle of this which I could also use in some of the shots of the she-wolf chasing her 'prey.' For the interior shots I could film in my own house for the interior shot of the she-wolf on a chair (the opening shot) and at a pub or my other uncle's bar for the bar shots. There is also a recording studio at my uncle's house so I could creatively shoot some shots in here to show the actual song being created which emphasises the fact that it is a song.

The Characters I will need to create a list of the characters I plan to include in my music video:

She-wolf
Her 'prey' (men)
Possibly the 'she-wolf's' partner

I will need to plan exactly what the characters will look like. The ideas I gain are my own views although I will research costumes and looks via the Internet and books. I could also ask a few people in the category of the target audience what their views are by using a controlled questionnaire or simply picking out a random selection of people and asking them to sketch and note what they think certain characters should look like. This will be engaging with the audience as it will be considering their views and opinions. The character should not only be planned referring to costumes and makeup but also personalities which are reflected through facial expressions and physical movements of the characters. The physical stance of the character can also be successfully used to portray their personality. The costumes I choose for the characters to wear should reflect their personalities and also connotate to different expectations e.g. red could connotate to danger and passion, therefore I will take note to use the colour red in the costumes of the she-wolf as she is seen as both passionate and dangerous. I should also plan what camera angles to use in shooting the characters as different angles can also portray a character e.g. a high angle shot can make a character seem dominant. Lighting can also reflect a character e.g. bright lighting can make a character seem cheerful or powerful and dark lighting can make a character seem threatening or mysterious. I should take props, costume, lighting...every aspect of mise-en-scene into consideration. The mise-en-scene I use should carefully be chosen to represent the character within the narrative but also reflect the narrative itself. Each character is represented in a certain way. My own ideology has some impact on the way characters are represented although I should also use some ideas from the audience as the music video is aimed at them.

(plan /sketches of my ideas of each character - include costume, props, lighting, make-up.... Camera angles and positions incl. in storyboard but take into consideration)

LIIAR

Language: The language of the music video on a technical aspect is basically the conventions used. The conventions create a particular language that the audience understand and recognise for example a montage of shots changing in time to a beat is a convention of music videos and therefore the audience will recognise this. The language of the narrative is portrayed by using technical conventions for example close-ups and medium shots are used to visually show the narrative. The narrative is usually a simple storyline in my chosen genre of music, dance. This is using language as it connects with the audience through the narrative. In this instance verbal language is the song itself and non-verbal language is defined as expressions and actions of the character/artist.

Institution: The producers of the music videos must engage with the audience to create a music video which they will want to view and enjoy viewing. Questionnaires and research play a large part in this as this enables the producer to gain an insight into what the public will enjoy and want to view; it takes their opinions into consideration.

Ideology: The ideology of the music video in general is to market the song successfully and encourage the audience to consume the song. The music video should also portray the character in an attractive enviable way as this will improve marketing as the audiences will either be attracted to the character or wish to be as attractive as the character - which is narcissism. This can result to the audience acting a certain way or dressing in a certain way after viewing a music video which they enjoy. This creates an ideology in itself as the music video will project a certain idealised character/idea onto them and the audience will consume this and self-project themselves into the character seen in the music video. Different technical techniques should be used to create a certain mood and atmosphere which will also have some impact onto the audience. It should represent the audiences beliefs as it is created for the audience so I should take care to not influence the video with my own ideology and beliefs although the video can be argued to do this as I am the one creating it so obviously my own beliefs will be reflected through this.

Audience: The audience of the music video will be anyone who consumes it, however the music video is created with a certain target audience in mind, which will be defined using methods such as research and questionnaires. Certain conventions will be used in the music video to appeal to the target audience. There are various ways to attract an audience with the following points in mind. Spectatorship is a main point as this is what is going on in people's minds as the music video is shown. By defining this it is then possible to ensure that certain conventions are used to create a strong atmosphere and provoke certain emotions which the audience will enjoy. Scopaphilia is basically the points of pleasure in a person's mind: what points and aspects of the music video will ensure the audience will enjoy the music video?

Voyeurism is to watch others without them knowing you are watching them. This is a convention of movies as we as an audience view the movie and the characters within that movie without them knowing we are watching. Therefore in my music video I should include some shots where the character is not looking directly as the camera but is instead looking away and not engaging with the audience directly. This breaks a convention of music videos but is a fair point to ensure the audience gain pleasure and enjoy viewing the music video.

Narcissism engages with the audience as the character in the music video should be seen as an idealised version of the audience's self. This will ensure enjoyment of the music video and can also improve marketing as the audience who view the video will enjoy engaging with the character as being themselves. Narcissism is a very powerful tool as the audience may pick up traits of the character and act like the character. They may also buy clothes, jewellery, get the same hairstyles as the character etc.

Fetishism comes into the final part of the last paragraph as the audience could enjoy watching glamorous objects which are shown in the music video and want these form themselves. For example, the audience could see a certain outfit in the music video and want one for themselves, they then go out and buy a similar outfit. This shows the music video has being successful and memorable and has had an impact on the audience.

Representation: The music video overall should represent the song as music videos are created to market the songs used in them. The video should fit the genre of the song and generally contain images that have some reference to the lyrics. The video should be unique and stand out so it will stay in the audience's minds which will successfully market the song as the audience are then more likely to consume the song. A powerful music video should ensure more people consuming the product: the song. It should also represent the emotions of the audience in some way which will also keep the video in their mind. The video could also be seen to be representing some of my own beliefs as I am the one creating it.