Pitch for my music video

Sleep on the floor- The Pitch

I have finally decided on the plot of my music video. It will be both a performance and narrative based music video. I have changed and developed my ideas from my story board as i felt that the narrative didn't link well with the uptempo beat of the song. Therefore i have decided to make a music video about the main band member and him choosing between his band mates or his girlfriend. I though this would work better than the previous idea as i think a lot of young people can relate to this as it is targeted at young adults.

I want the beginning to start with the bands name. As this is their first single i wanted to get there name out as much as possible. Then i want different clips of the band members playing and then clips of the lead singer and his love interest. I want the band performance to happen in the same place so it gives uniformity.

In the middle of my music video i am aiming to get a balance between narrative performance. I also want to show the lead singer with his band mates messing around and also with his girlfriends to show the narrative.

Finally i want the end to show the two falling out which will hopefully be edited with fast paced editing, as the beat gets faster towards the end of the the song.

Richard Dyer- Star Theory

Richard Dyer - Star Theory

Richard Dyers star theory is the idea that icons and celebrities are manufactured by institutions for financial gain. He believes that stars are constructed to represent 'real people' experiencing real emotions. Stars are manufactured by the music industry to serve a purpose; to make money out of audience, who respond to various elements of a star’s personality by buying records and becoming fans. 

His theory is spilt into three sections:

1. Audiences and Institutions 

2. Constitutions 

3. Hegemony

Audience and Institutions 

Stars are made for money purposes alone. Increasing the brand identity benefits the institution as they become a household name increasing sales in all of the media platforms they are in.  The institution then models the artist around the target audience they choose. For example Lady GaGa, according to Dyer, was modeled around fashion forward people so the audience can relate to her as a person and also her music. 

Constitutions

This is more or less the same as the audience and institution part of his theory. 

Hegemony  

This is also know as 'culture'. It is the idea that the audience relates to the star because they have a feature they the share or admire with the star. Some fans may attempt to replicate the star in their behavior, what they and what they do. But this could also be a negative impact as some stars often are heavy drinkers and drug abusers. For example in the 60's and 70's there was an increase of illegal sales of cannabis due to The Beatles being open about using it. Stars represent shared cultural values and attitudes, and promote a certain ideology. Audience interest in these values enhances their 'star quality', and it is through conveying beliefs, ideas and opinions outside music that performers help create their star character to their fans. A star may start a fashion trend, with masses of fans copying their hairstyle and clothing. Stars benefit from cultural discourse for example, via their Twitter feed. Now more than ever before, social networks give pop stars the opportunity to establish their own values outside their music. Lady Gaga tweets frequently about issues, and expects her “Little Monsters” (The name of which Lady Gaga calls her fans)  to engage with that discourse just as much as she expects them to listen to her music.

Spike Jonze- Music Director

Spike Jonze

Spike Jones is an American director specialising in music videos film and commercials. He is highly respected by the music industry directing some of the most famous and unique music videos. 

Jonze directed the music video to 'Fat Boy Slim- Praise You'. He shot the video in a 'guerrilla' style, which a form of independent filmmaking characterized by low budgets and simple props using whatever is available. Often scenes are shot quickly in real locations without any warning, and without obtaining permission from the owners of the locations. It reportedly only cost $800 to make. Jonze was praised for his unique style and has influence many other music directors. 

The video won three major awards at the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards: Breakthrough Video, Best Direction, and Best Choreography. It was also nominated for, but did not win, Best Dance Video. 

Music Director - Mark Klasfeld

Mark Klasfeld

Mark Klasfeld is a music video director. His work displays a completely different tone than anyone else working in the music industry . His unique blend of humour and visuals makes each and every video he produces something that has not been seen before.  Furthermore he uses different camera angels and shots to create a quirky feel. He has directed hundreds of music video for different genres, Jay Z- Hip Hop and Red Hot Chilli Peppers- rock. 

Foo Fighters- Times Like These 

Camera Angle

Klasfeld is know for is experimentation of camera angle and movement. In this music video he displays an number of shots to keep the audience enticed. Furthermore the unique camera shots follows the conventions of the indie/rock genre as it is steering away from the norm.  

The use of a low angel shot of the guitarist gives dominance to the band member when he is playing his solo. It focuses the audiences attention on the guitarist making him an important presence in the band.

Also Klasfeld uses a number of close up shots of the lead singer which allows the audience to become familiar with the bands image. it also follows one of Goodwins 6 points which is the demand for close ups of the artists. This way the band can sell their brand identity to gain a wider audience. 

Sound

Klasfeld hasn't used any non diagetic sound effects because he trys to create a realistic band performance. However the use of diabetic clearly demonstrates the performance element of the music video adding to the rock/indie genre. 

Mise en scene

The mise en scene is very unique in this music video. Klasfeld adopts the classical set of musical props such as guitars, drums, microphones to relate to the genre and adds verisimilitude. But the setting is in a studio which allows the audience to see the behind the scenes in how the music video works. This makes the audience feel part of the product creating a strong bond with fans.  

Editing

The best element of this music video is the editing. Klasfeld uses a green screen to create CGI effects. These CGI effects are slightly psychedelic which could show the inspirations from the 70's era which was the movement of punk rock. It also captures the audience and keeps them entertained as the background is forever changing. This is a simple and effective way to entice the audience. The effects adds to the quirky style of the band. In addition the beat of the drum often matches the editing which gives the video fluidity. 

Lip Syncing trial

Lip Sync

As part of my planning, i thought it would be a good idea to practice lip syncing. At first i found it difficult to make the lip syncing in time with the music. However after a few go's it became easier as i used different clips in between the singing so it was in sync. 

Types of clothing for my band

It is very important to look the part in a music video and the genre usually comes across in the style they dress.I want each of my band members to have their own individual style but at the same time i want to create a brand identity. Below are some examples of clothing i would like to use...

Tops/Shirts/Jumpers

Checked shirts are usually and essential item in this fashion, they give an edge to the outfit than just a regular shirt. Printed tops under a denim jacket give off a cool youthful vibe, the print has to be quite striking and bold for it to fit in with the rest of the image. Cable knit jumpers are more of a vintage style, however layered with a checked shirt underneath it makes it more modern.

Jackets/Coats

As a lot of my footage will be filmed outside and in winter, a jacket will emphises the time of the year. There are lots of different styles to choose from when looking at the indie/hipster fashion. The first one would be a green parka jacket, very british and 90's and usually seen on members of the oasis band.  The second choice is a leather jacket. This is more urban, rock n roll and gives more of a cooler edge, bands are often influenced by Mick Jagger who was the role model for this look. And lastly is the staple item, the denim jacket. This gives the outfit a retro feel but also a lot of students nowadays chuck it over a hoody for collage.

Jeans/Trousers

Ive decided to keep the bottom half quite simple, with the exception of the checked trousers. Dark skinny jeans with the ends turned up will go with almost everything. Also coloured chinos have become quite popular with this genre, and a lot of people in indie bands wear them.  A smart trouser is a bit more different so the band member has to be quite outgoing with his fashion to pull them off, but it also adds to the country theme which i want to portray in my video.

Storyboard

Storyboard for Blonde Louis- Sleep on the floor. 

As part of our research we had to create a detailed storyboard which gave the basic shots and outline for our music video.

I created this project on iMovie on the iMacs, it was vey simple to do as we have already used this software last year. However it was slightly challenging as we had to make sure the editing went to the beat of the song. I tried to incorporate different types of shots, for example on one part of the song there is a drum solo, i made sure there was a close up on the drums to highlight this.

We then had to add in our song, to do this we have to download the file from either www.soundcloud.com or their own websites. To import the music you simply just drag the music into the clips. Doing the storyboard has helped me sequence the events and get all of my ideas together. I believe that it is an important part of planning as when i come to filming it will be easier to follow.

The music video is narrative and performance based to show the band image but also their personalities.  The narrative is about a young girl (love interest of the main singer) taking drugs which puts a strain on their relationship. This is also referenced in the lyrics 'the smoke filled up your eyes'. However although  I do believe that this links with the indie genre well as alot of songs by indie bands are about drugs and relationships, i do think that it might be quite hard to film. I will approach that problem when it comes to filming.