group meetings

The purpose of having a group meetings table is simply so that every single member of the group is aware of exactly what is going on in the production of the music video. It is vital to have to ensure that say for instance, someone is not in a lesson one day, they may miss something crucial to know in the meetings and therefore when they come back they can easily refer to the table and catch up with what has been done and what still needs doing. Meetings are also an extremely beneficial way of allowing everyone in the group to have a say in a matter; if everyone has differentiating opinions of how best to approach something, a discussion needs to take place to compromise of what action to take. Another useful aspect of the group meetings is that it allows a group to efficiently divide tasks between the members and get things done a lot more quickly, saving valuable production time, as well as making everything fair between everyone, so no-one either has nothing to do or everything to do. The table below demonstrates our planning of certain actions we need to do, when to do them by and by whom.

Having carried out  group meetings very successfully, I think it is an ideal thing to do. The process was a lot easier and quicker due to the fact that Molly, Claire and I get along very well and were able to maturely discuss our ideas; it was also beneficial that the three of us held similar ideas and therefore could quickly move on to looking over other things. In addition, having three people in a group proves to be advantageous when discussing how to approach a situation as it means that there is a high probability you will receive constructive input from at least one person, or if you do not like one person's, someone else can jump in and help.

Overall, from carrying out group meetings, I can see that it was a good thing to use as it helped with organizing our production efficiently and constructively, allowing my group and I to know exactly where we stand with deadlines. Every participant of the group attended each meetings, avoiding any issues with one of us being behind on key information regarding the production. This meant that we all knew exactly what we were doing and what was left to do. The only issues that arised were ensuring that our schedule did not come into conflict with either each other's or Amy's, who we were using as our artist. However, if I were to repeat this process, next time I would plan out variables such as weather and lighting more carefully, as we actually had to re-film a scene due to the poor lighting resulting in a grainy quality from the camera.

music video inspirations

Inspirations are important to take into considering when producing a music video, as having a variety of ideas means that your music video is more likely to include conventional elements to the genre that you have repeatedly seen in various videos. In addition, your music video is more likely to be more creative and have an interesting narrative is you take inspirations, rather than just coming up with a narrative from the top of your mind. It is also beneficial as you can see what famous artists have included in their music videos to make them so successful and therefore enhance the quality of your own video.

The first video I have taken inspirations from is Kodaline's "All I Want". There are two parts (videos) for the song and in the one I have picked, there is a strong use of editing of colors and filters. The video has been edited so that the saturation has been slightly drained in some scenes which is extremely useful when creating a more melancholy feeling. Goodwin's theory of there being a relationship between the music and the visuals can be applied here as the dull and blander colors match the mood of the music at specific points. This relates to my own music video as my song my group and I have planned to gradually reduce the saturation and brightness of the scenes as the video progresses as the narrative becomes increasingly depressing. We ourselves would like to ensure that the music matches the visuals - as Goodwin proposes is essential - as it creates a more successful video due to the ability for the audience to actually feel the emotions the characters are going through. My group and I have planned out a rough plot for our music video and we wanted to make it quite different to what you would expect. Therefore, in order to truly illustrate the emotional intensity of the video, the visuals must match the lyrics and the musical tones. The best way of doing this is as Kodaline's video for "All I Want" shows: changing the saturation and brightness, etcetera. Furthermore, despite the plot for "All I Want" not being the same as for my own music video, it inspired me to filter some of my scenes to make it look duller so that it looks like an analepsis, as the present-time scenes in my video will be brighter, with a higher saturation, etcetera. 

In Birdy's music video for "Wings", she makes good use of vintage style clothing. As this is an indie genre convention, I thought taking this as an inspiration would make my own video more successful. Despite the fact that my music video will be set in contemporary times, I still want there to be a prevalent vintage feel to it. Therefore, the costumes that I want to pick for the characters will be less modern. However, I do not actually want to completely use this inspiration in the manner that Birdy's costumes in this video are too extravagantly vintage. Instead, this video has inspired me to somewhat go against mainstream fashion trends and use clothes which the audience would aspire to have as it is different from what they normally see. However, I would not completely want to go against mainstream conventions as having a completely different style of clothing to what the audience may be used to seeing would create a distinct separation between the artist and the audience; they have to be able to relate to the genre convention of the clothing. Whereas in Birdy's video, the clothing the characters are wearing are completely unattainable as nobody would wear the clothes on a daily basis. One example of how I am going to use this inspiration in my own music video is by thinking about using dresses for the female artist, instead of jeans, as this both conforms to the indie genre as well as keeping in line with the vintage theme. From prior research, such as looking at Dyer's theory of stars, I used this inspiration from Birdy to try to plan out how to best represent my artist as being both ordinary and extraordinary. Therefore, I evidently do not want to use clothes that the audience would not be able to affordably obtain, however the clothing must make audience want to wear what the artist does, which Birdy's video has inspired me to ensure. 

This music video also aided in getting an inspiration for the how to best represent my artist; Birdy represented quite stereotypically: as she is young, she is quite care as demonstrated by the excessive partying. However, there are actually two representations of her as the video makes strong use of cross-cutting between two different scenes; one of them displays Birdy partying with a lot of other people and the other shows her on her own, singing. The use of illustrating two sides of the artist is something which I wish to employ in my own music video as I think it is an effective way to connect with the audience as they are getting to know the artist more. Having two different representations also relates to the audience as it shows what the artist is like when they are with people but ultimately they may feel alone, which a lot of the target audience will understand and relate to. Furthermore, to further pull on the audience's emotions, the video makes use of close-up shots of the artist when she are sitting alone as well as wide shots to really display their isolation and loneliness. Both these shots are extremely effective and therefore have inspired me to use in my own video. I like the use of the close-up shots as it means you can really see the artist's facial expressions and therefore the audience can sympathize with the audience more. The close up shots allow you to clearly see what the artist is feeling, and in the case of Birdy, she never smiles; this has inspired me for my own video as due to the fact that my music video will have performance and narrative aspects, I can use a lot of close-ups in the performance parts to show the artist's emotions. This is useful as the performance parts will be in between the narrative shots and therefore allow the audience to really get to know the artist more; they will be able to clearly see the two sides of the artist, one when they are alone and the other when they are with other people. On the other hand, the wide shots are good as you can see the location as well as the artist and therefore get more of a feel of the video, as well as making the artist look smaller in comparison to everything else and exemplifies her loneliness. I want to incorporate this in my music video, as I want to establish the setting of the video, as it will be set in the countryside, and show the artist within the setting. This way, the video will seem more authentic and have a more rustic feel to it, which will appeal to the audience. The video has inspired me to ensure I use a variety of shots in every part of my own music video.

In addition, from watching Labrinth and Sigma's "Higher", I can see a good variety of cinematography that I could potentially apply to my own music video. One specific shot I liked was the use of a panning shot. In "Higher", a panning shot is used from a high angle taken in a helicopter. Evidently, my budget does not stretch as far as being able to afford a helicopter; however, the same principle of the panning shot can be applied. In my own music video, the panning shot will be useful in the car scene where the two characters are driving along and they break down. The use of a panning shot will allow the audience to get a scope of both the characters in the car and the surrounding location. This way, the audience will consequently get more of a rustic feel from the video, a convention of the indie genre. Furthermore, a panning shot is a good way to establish where the music video is set and therefore can give the audience clues as to the plot of the video. Whilst watching "Higher", I was able to quickly come to the conclusion that the video was going to have some sort of allusion to climbing a mountain, perhaps both metaphorically or literally as the panning shot showed a whole scope of the location, which enabled us to see footsteps of someone climbing "Higher" up a slope. I was therefore inspired to use the same idea within my own music video, as the panning shot could give the audiences suggestions as to what is going to happen; this is appealing for them as it is exciting to try to figure out what is going to happen.

Another inspiration I have taken is from Tom Odell's "Grow Old With Me" music video. The inspiration I took was the use of both narrative and performance concepts as I think this will make a more appealing video. Tom Odell features in the video as he plays the piano as well as sings. In my own video, I want to include the artist playing the piano as well as I think playing a musical instrument will help to portray the artist as being extraordinary as well as ordinary, as Dyer's paradox theory suggests. This is more effective as the target audience will aspire to be more like the artist and appeal to the video more as it keeps it as interesting as possible. In "Grow Old With Me" the artist plays the piano as well as sing which attracts the audience more as it means those who unfortunately cannot see Tom Odell play live, will actually feel like they are able to. Having this experience is essential for the audience as they want to be able to connect to the artist as much as possible. Therefore, I want to use this performance aspect in my video and make it look as realistic as possible. My own artist, Amy, will be filmed playing the piano as well as being filmed just singing to the audience; in the editing, we can cross-cut between the performance shots we would like to use. I have also been inspired by the narrative aspect of Tom Odell's music video. Furthermore, as I plan to include a variety of different shots, as Tom Odell does in his video of "Grow Old With Me", it will keep the audience immersed in the visuals as they can truly see the passion he has for playing the instrument. I want to incorporate this very passionate approach in my own video, as I want it to seem as realistic as possible. In addition, having a narrative aspect to the video is beneficial as it gives the lyrics meaning and brings them to life which is something I personally think is exceedingly crucial, especially within the indie genre which is all about deeper meanings and connotations. Furthermore, the narrative and performance aspect will link together as it will create the effect that the artist is singing about a real-life and personal experience; therefore, the music video will be a lot more emotional and meaningful, which is how I want my own video to be like. In Tom Odell's video for "Grow Old With Me", he uses a young boy and girl, rather than a more adult couple. This is surprising as you do not expect the artist to be writing about children; therefore after watching this video, I was inspired to think outside of the box with my own music video and try to turn away from the automatic assumption or connotation the audience may jump to about the lyrics. For my own video, I want the plot to have an unexpected turn, such as the male protagonist dying, as the audience would not expect this after reading the lyrics. This way, the video will be more unique and therefore more interesting.

To conclude, having musical inspirations is extremely helpful as it is something to guide me whilst producing my own music video. I definitely think having an indie genre music video is the best option as it gives a lot of freedom as to what elements to include. Furthermore, having both narrative and performance styles of music video is a strong option to take on as it is far more interesting and appealing for the audience due to deeper meanings and emotions which are expressed throughout. For the audience of the indie genre, this is something which they strongly appeal to. As I have watched a lot of indie genre music videos, I have a lot of ideas of what to include and how to make it stand out from other indie music videos. Planning out my own inspirations is useful as it allows me to compare and contrast with my group's individual inspirations and take bits and pieces of ideas from everyone's. For instance, one person liked the use of the countryside location, whereas another person liked the city location; therefore we were able to employ both settings in our music video by having fast-paced scenes of London edited in at specific points. This effectively creates a more personal and unique music video as my group and myself were able to plan out exactly what we personally liked, which is important as the target audience will be of a similar age to ourselves and therefore will be likely to appeal to similar elements we do. 

risk assessment

The purpose of risk assessment whilst participating in production of any media piece is to simply review a situation in the process of production, i.e. filming a particular scene, and seeing if there are any risks involved in order to maximum the reduction of any accidents. Risk assessments are a filming requirement and aid in forming a beneficial health and safety regulation to adhere to in all situations. Therefore, any hazards and risks can be made aware of as well as identifying exactly whom is at risk; in this case, is it the actors/actresses or filming crew? Risk assessment also helps to establish what the most appropriate measures that must be taken are. During the risk assessment process, we have laid out a plan B so that there are no hindrances during the filming and therefore we can stay on schedule. Having a risk assessment will ensure that everyone in the group is aware of any potential dangers and will immediately know the alternative and rectifying course of action to take. 

Conclusively, my group and I did largely follow our risk assessment as much as possible. As we were already aware of any potential dangers, we will be continuously trying to take precautions whilst filming to reduce any problems as much as possible. For example, for the performance scenes where we used candles, we came prepared to the filming location with battery candles as well as real-life candles as we were aware that there could be high-risks. During the filming of the London scenes, I took a friend with me to help with the filming. This was actually extremely useful for me as she helped with keeping an eye on the equipment whilst I tried to look for good locations which were less-populated. However, there were some issues during filming. For example, during the running scene, there were weather issues such as high-level of winds; this caused the equipment to be knocked over. Therefore, this became an obstacle for Amy whilst she was running and was exceedingly dangerous. We quickly came up with a solution for this issue; someone who was not in charge of a particular shot would ensure the tripod is stationary throughout the filming. We also had an issue with the weather affecting the camera; as it it is not waterproof and it was raining, there was a risk of the camera not working any more. In addition, water drops kept getting on our camera lens and therefore obstructing the quality of the visuals. Therefore, we were forced to reschedule. The weather itself was the main risk through our entire production. A lot of the other risks that we mentioned did not pose to be an issue as we ensured that we took precautions to prevent any risks from occurring. Whilst filming the performance scenes that used candles, we still used the fire candles as opposed to the battery candles as we took measures to avoid any risks: we places them in the centre of the top of the piano with nothing inflammable around them. Overall, the risk assessment was extremely helpful as it reduced any risks as much as possible.

filming schedule

A filming schedule is important to have it is a way of effectively organizing yourself in order to create a more successful music video. Having a schedule means that you can set yourself targets to achieve by a specific date and therefore you will get a lot more done. These targets can be set for the group as a whole as well as individually as different members of the group can be allocated different responsibilities as to what they are filming. In my own group, we shared out the role of filming specific scenes as we recognized the practicality and efficiency of doing so. As Molly lives in Debden, very close to Theydon Bois, one of our filming locations, she took on the role of filming the scenes in this area, such as when the couple first meet. Similarly, Claire was given the responsibility of the performance aspect of the music video as she actually owns a piano in her house. My own duty was directed towards filming the shots of London which will be edited to be placed in a time-lapse. As you can see, sharing out responsibility according to a specific schedule is a far more effective approach than everyone doing each task together when not everyone is actually needed to do this. Furthermore, the filming schedule will help us when we film as we will remember exactly needs to be included in the specific scene we are going to film on a specific day; this is crucial as it is a headache and time-wasting to forget things. In addition, having the filming schedule there ensures that you take precautions in checking for the weather forecast or any other factors which may affect the filming on a specific day you have scheduled.

Ultimately, my group and I did closely follow the filming schedule as much as possible; all the locations mentioned above were used, alongside all the correct shots and iconography. Molly shot the scenes in Theydon Bois with Amy and Morgan - the two characters - on the day we planned, as this is one of the first shots of the video and was quite easy to film in regards to the nearby location, the availability of the two characters and the weather. As this was the first meeting of the two characters that would be seen in the video, we wanted to ensure the weather would fit the scene; we did have a back-up plan in case of a downpour, however if it were sunny - even if mildly - it would be preferable as it would match the happy and innocent mood we desired for a first encounter. The date we put for filming the performance aspect of the video also stayed the same as Claire was available at this day; availability was our only concern as we did not have to worry about other factors such as weather. However, despite our efficiency of keeping to schedule, we actually realized that these scenes would be needed to be re-filmed as due to the darkness of the room, the shot came out looking grainy and of low-quality. Therefore, instead of shooting the scene in low-key lighting, we decided to shoot it at a brighter period of the day; it is easier to shoot a scene in high-key lighting and then just reduce the lighting brightness when we get onto editing. We set a date to re-film these scenes for the 13th of November. My own responsibility was for shooting the scenes of London and I was actually able to go ahead of schedule and film them on the day before we planned out as I was going up to London with a friend and therefore was able to use this opportunity to film the sights. However, we did run a little off schedule; one example is when we had to change the day of filming the scene of Amy running as the weather conditions meant that it was extremely muddy and therefore it was too unsafe for Amy to run in. Even if we tried to be cautious in filming, there was still the danger of Amy falling and therefore we did not want this to happen. In addition, as it was still raining, Amy would have preferred to run when she would not get wet. Furthermore, the camera lens would have gotten rain-drops on it and this would have obscured the visuals produced from the camera. Therefore, Molly re-filmed these scenes on the following day when the weather conditions were much more suitable. However we also had the issue of trying to fit in our filming schedule with Amy's filming schedule as she has to participate in her own group's music video production. There were one or two occasions where our schedule clashed and we actually had to re-schedule for the following week which hindered on our own schedule. Overall, I think my group and I did a very proficient job of keeping to schedule, and if there were times when we drifted away from it due to external factors, we managed to quickly use our back-up plans to get us back on track.

However, if I had the chance to plan and record the production of the music video again, I think I would have planned out more narrative scenes, to cut between the performance scenes. From watching indie music videos for inspiration and research, I liked how a lot of them use quick cuts between performance and narrative scenes; whereas in specific parts of my group and I's music video, we used quick cuts between performance shots, making the performance aspect seem more dominant than the narrative. The reason for this is that we actually filmed a lot more shots than we needed. As we wanted to ensure we had backup footage we actually over-compensated the amount of filming. During the filming of the performance aspect of the video, we filmed chunks of the song but from different angles and positions in order to cut between them in the editing, so the video would be far more interesting than if it was all from one angle. Overall, having a filming schedule has been exceedingly beneficial for my group and I as we were able to be organized and precise in our production. If we did not have a schedule we would be wasting a lot of time deliberating over what to actually film and then what we have already filmed and what is left to film. 

music video storyboard

The purpose of a storyboard is simply to plan out the individual shots that you will need to take when you film your video. Creating a storyboard before you start filming is exceedingly beneficial as it saves time as you know exactly what you are doing. In addition, a storyboard will reduce the chance of your shots being incoherent and unusable; if you do not know what exact shots you want to take and just take random ones, they may not fit together when you get to editing. It also means that you will know what costume and props from the iconography to use for particular shots when filming. Creating a storyboard means that you can show other people precisely how the music video is going to be made and you can coherently talk about the video in detail. Production of the music video will be incredibly easier as it ensures you will not forget any necessary shots you need to take; it also is beneficial for when you are editing as you can put the video together in the correct order. Furthermore, if you have only planned some of the shots for the video and have started editing them, you will know which ones you have left to film and therefore it saves time.

Below are pictures of all the pages of my group and I's storyboard. As you can see, there are quite a lot of pages as we planned out every single shot in detail so that when it came to filming, we would be completely prepared and not be wasting time trying to figure out how to take the shot or forget to bring the necessary props/costume etc for the shot. We did actually forget to color in the storyboard images which would have helped in quickly knowing what the costume will be. We have decided to use the same scene we have used at the beginning, at the end as well. This is simply due to the fact that it gives a better finish and allows the audience to connect what they have initially seen to the rest of the narrative and answers any questions they may of had at the beginning of the narrative.

To plan the music video for the song "Salvation", I had to use both my primary and secondary research that I carried out previously. The primary research I carried out by producing a questionnaire relevant to the music video advocated in the planning of the music video as it allowed me to gain more insight into people's preferences of what should be in the music video. For instance, within the questionnaire, we asked 40 people whether they prefer indie artists who play musical instruments in their music videos; 47% said yes, whilst only 40% said no. Taking this information, my group and I decided to incorporate a musical instrument into our own music video which is why we allocated specific parts of the song to the artist performing the song. Many other aspects of the video have been taken from my research; the vox pops also aided in helping to provide inspirations. One of the questions on the vox pops was asking whether the audience participant prefers the location of the countryside or city; more people said the city and therefore we decided to incorporate shots of London in our video. In order to make it more obvious it was the city, we planned out various locations such as London Bridge, Oxford Street and Covent Garden. As this is an indie love story, using London shots would subvert some of the conventions of the genre and therefore appeal to the audience more as the video will be more unique. Overall, the primary research helped to plan out a more successful music video as the majority of my group and I's decisions were shaped around the audience's answers given in the questionnaire. 

We also had to carry about secondary research of gaining inspirations from other artists of the same genre. As my group and I's artist belonged to the indie genre, we focused on artists such as Ed Sheeran, Tom Odell, Nina Nesbitt, Birdy and of course, Gabrielle Aplin herself. From looking at Gabrielle Aplin first, we noticed a trend in her look; she prefers a minimal look, with more casual-style clothing and natural makeup. Therefore, for our own artist, Amy, we wanted to keep the costume and makeup planning as low-key as possible as the audience want the artist to be extraordinary enough that they can aspire to them, yet if the artist wore designer clothing and a lot of makeup, it would not fit the genre, but rather come across as quite mainstream. My group and I also noticed that artists such as Gabrielle Aplin, Birdy and Tom Odell all played musical instruments in their video. The song we picked, "Salvation", featured an instrumental of a piano and as Amy could actually play it, we decided to definitely feature one. In addition, as stated previously, in our primary research of the questionnaires we carried out, more people mentioned that they do like to see the artist playing an instrument and therefore it was beneficial to include this performance aspect in planning the storyboard. This also helps to maintain that extraordinary perception the audience has of the artist, as it is important that they can take something from the music video, otherwise it appears quite boring. Another inspiration we took from our research into the indie genre was the different shot types that many artists used. In Birdy's music video for "Skinny Love" she is shown playing the piano; as we wanted to have Amy playing the piano as well, we looked into this video in depth. We noticed that even though there was not much occurring in the performance aspect, expect the artist playing an instrument, it was still quite interesting to watch as the shots never stayed the same for more than three seconds; the range of extreme close ups, to mid-shots and wide shots from different angles of behind and to the side, kept the performance aspect exceedingly refreshing. Therefore, we ensured to employ the same variety of shots in our own music video. We planned out extreme close up shots such as Amy's foot on the pedals of the piano, or her fingers playing the keys, etc. This way, our music video would be perpetually interesting for the audience.

My group and I started off storyboarding our music video by analyzing the lyrics of our chosen song, Salvation. We did this so that the shots we chose made complete sense and actually matched what Gabrielle Aplin was writing about. However, we evidently did not copy out the literal meaning shot by shot as firstly, many meanings could be taken from the lyrics and secondly, we wanted to make the video as unique as we could. There were some lyrics that we thought had connotations of death, such as "glorious we transcend into a psychedelic silhouette", which matched our narrative, as the male protagonist actually dies at the end of our music video. Analyzing the lyrics meant that it was a lot easier to come up with a coherent and interesting narrative with a lot of ideas of shots so that we do not run out of things to film. We then started writing out each individual shot that is going to be included and in the correct sequence. The reason for doing so is to we know the correct order to put all our shots in when we start editing the filming. To help keep track of the number of shots we would be taken and how long each shot would be, we ensured to include the framing number and the duration of each individual shot; this enabled us to keep track of how many minutes of the song we have taken up. Consequently, we nit-picked over the very necessity of the shots to include as our timing was limited. Within the storyboard we also included images to give a rough idea of what the shot will look like. Drawing images to match the shot type is exceedingly useful as it helps with visualizing the shot and therefore when we get to actually filming the video, we will be able to quickly set up the scene to match the storyboard. During filming we would be referring back to the storyboard frequently and therefore it was vital that we put as much visual information on it as possible to avoid any confusion. Therefore, the actual writing we included in the storyboards has been selected in a particular way; along with the basic information such as the shot type, the editing style, the lighting, the location and iconography, we have also expanded on details by giving information about the actual narrative content and the sound (the lyrics) that will go along with the shot. This is exceedingly beneficial for keeping the narrative and performance parts of the video in time with the music and the lyrics. The artist will be showing performing the song and therefore she must be both singing the song and playing the piano completely in time. The storyboard will aid in doing so as it will show which parts MUST be shown at a specific time according to when a particular line of the song is sung.

The creation of the storyboard was a group effort; we started the process during class and therefore had the opportunity to work together on it. We all put input into our thoughts as to how long we think each shot should as keeping the duration to a specific timing can be difficult when there are a lot of things you want to include. However, as we did not finish the storyboard during class time, Molly decided to stay on and complete it during the next hour after class as she had a free period. She finished writing out all the information and then Claire and I finished off the drawings to accompany the relevant shots. Before we actually started creating the storyboard, we first discussed how to best approach it. First, we referred back to the lyrics that we analyzed as our annotations aided in acknowledging where each shot will be and all the different misc-en-scene components that will be included in each one.

Overall, my group and I followed the storyboard to nearly exactly how we produced it. This is due to the fact that we created the storyboard so well and detailed that it needed minimal changing. However, there were some instances in the storyboard where shots were moved around a little. For example, the London scenes we decided to put it had to be fiddled with a little in order to match the scenes before and after it; in the storyboard, there were some parts where the London scenes did not actually match and we only realized when we started filming and put the shots together. There was also the issue of natural lighting and weather conditions. During planning our storyboard out, we did obviously take into account some factors that may affect our filming. However, we did not anticipate the quality of the filming indoors if it was dark outside. For example, for our performance scenes where Amy is playing the piano, we played to film it in low-key lighting, with just candles providing our lighting. As we filmed these scenes when it was not particularly light outside, the quality of the footage was not brilliant, as the lens gave a grainy looking effect to the visuals. Therefore, we had to rethink this and instead of turning off the lights, and filming when it was dark outside, we still used candles, but just turned on the lights in the room. This is simply as the candles were essential to the music video, however we could simply edit the footage to make it appear darker; it is better to film during lighter conditions as the quality will not deteriorate when you edit it to make it darker. There was also another obstructing factor: the weather conditions affected the day we could film the scene of Amy on a run. As it had rained on the previous day to filming and it was still raining when we got to filming, there was a hazard of Amy running as she could have slipped and hurt herself badly. There was also the risk of the camera getting wet; therefore we had to reschedule the day we filmed this scene as we did not anticipate the weather conditions. However, I do think that our storyboard was ultimately a success as we ensured to use maximum detail to minimalize any issues.

planning editing styles

The most evident reason for the need of a variety of editing styles within a music video is simply to keep the audience entertained. If the audience were watching a video with the same editing techniques used throughout, they would quickly become bored and would want to continue watching. Sticking to the most basic editing styles such as continuity editing does not achieve much; continuity editing is used to create verisimilitude, therefore it does not "WOW" the audience or make them aspire to what is being shown as it is a realistic perception and therefore a boring perception. Another reason is simply to give the music video a coherent structure so that if we wish to use analepsis or prolepsis within the video then using different editing styles will make this clear; e.g. editing a scene with a black and white filter may signify it is in the past.        

One editing style my group and I chose to use within our music video is slow-paced editing. We have actually decided to employ this style throughout the entire of the video, with the exception of the London scenes which will be in a time-lapse; another editing style we have chosen. The contrast between the fast-paced shots of the city and the slow-pace of the rest of the scenes in more countryside locations, will be crucial in illustrating how the artist is feeling. Slow-paced editing is useful for highlighting sadness which is a key emotion for our narrative. In certain scenes, such as when the last chorus of the song is sung, after the male character has died, slow-paced editing will be extremely noticeable and fitting. The editing will provide a dragged out feeling to the last chorus; therefore both the artist's and consequently the audience's sadness towards the death will be extremely prolonged, effectively creating a more impacting video for the audience. In addition, the repeated lyrics of "my salvation, my, my" in the last chorus will add to the desired dragged out effect and will make the mood of the video even more depressing. This is conventional of the indie genre as often the lyrics exhibit a sense of loneliness or depression as this really allows the audience and artist to connect on a personal level. Furthermore, the indie genre like to write about matters which are relevant to their audience; relationships and break-ups are something which a lot of people go through and therefore enhances the audience-to-artist relationship. In addition, slow-pace editing is conventionally used in order to create this effect; the lyrics are quite slow and melancholic and therefore it would look rather strange to have faster-paced editing which does not match the lyrics or the beat of the music. Slow-paced editing is also effective in representing the artist as being more ordinary than extraordinary and therefore more relatable for the audience. Gabrielle Aplin is seen less as a celebrity who is unreachable but more as someone the audience can relate to, look up to, and take advice from when they are faced with similar problems in their own lives. The GIF image above demonstrates slow-pace editing; in this example, there is a use of slow-pace editing that takes one shot into another shot through a fade. I put this example in as during the beginning of my group and I's music video, we came up with an idea to use slow-pace editing to fade an image of the artist when she was old into a shot of the artist in the flashback the video is set in.

However, in contrast, the fast-paced London scenes will provide a sense of claustrophobia and chaos. This is effective in accentuating the artist's emotions; particularly those of feeling trapped and lost. However, we have also decided to slow down the shots we have taken of London; for example, during the instrumental parts of the song, the slowness of the music in addition to the slowness of the shots will provide more insight into how the artist is feeling. As stated previously, the use of slow-motion is extremely conventional of the indie genre as it emphasizes emotions the characters, particularly the artist, is feeling. Slow motion is also conventional as it gives more time for the audience to focus on a particular aspect of importance for the artist. Indie music videos tend to put certain objects or situations at focal points as it adds to the narrative. The fast-paced time lapse will be useful in representing Gabrielle Aplin as being quite extraordinary, with a typical celebrity style busy lifestyle. This makes her more unattainable for the audience as she is not as relatable; fast-paced editing is not conventional of the indie genre. The GIF image above gives an excellent example of fast-pace editing; as you can see, this technique is beneficial when desiring a dramatic effect. I want to create the same impact in my own music video and therefore will use fast-paced editing so the audience are aware of the change in the artist's emotions.

Another editing style which we have chosen to adopt are the use of jump cuts. This is due to the fact that this type of editing will allow us to effectively transition from the narrative to performance parts of the music video. Evidently, we do not want the music video to look strange and unprofessional if the types of the scenes keep changing and therefore by using jump cuts, it will be clearer that the narrative and performance parts are related. One example of where we would use a jump cut is after the artist sings the lyrics of "bring me back around again", the scene changes from narrative straight to performance. The use of a jump cut here will demonstrate to the audience that the artist is being shown in two different lights: the performance aspects are more personal as she is all alone and the narrative is to give more to the audience of what the artist is like. This is more effective than just having pure narrative or pure performance as it represents the artist in more than one way; the audience want to get to know the artist as much as possible. Furthermore, the jump cut can be used as a metaphor to illustrate the tumultuous life of the artist; the constant changing between narrative and performance gives more insight into what the artist's life is like personally as well as perhaps on a more celebrity status level. Relating to Dyer's theory, the use of jump cuts are effective in representing the artist as quite extraordinary as it shows how multi-talented she is; the music video illustrates Gabrielle Aplin as singing and playing a musical instrument. This allows the audience to form a closer relationship to the artist as well as becoming active in the video by aspiring to be more like Gabrielle. Above is an example GIF image of a piece of media using jump cuts; as you can see, jump cuts are effective when wanting to move from one shot to another in a simple manner. For my own music video, I do not want an unnecessarily complex transition between the narrative and performance scenes as the audience should not have to think about or figure out what is occurring in the video so deeply.

The final editing style my group and I have picked out is the use of filters and color alterations. We have planned to alter the saturation throughout the entire video; as it progresses, the color of the video will gradually decrease more and more. This is effective for our narrative as the mood gradually becomes more and more depressing and therefore the dullness being produced will reflect this. The funeral scene, right at the end of the music video, will be exceedingly drained of saturation to really emphasize the sadness the artist feels. In addition, this will contrast with the bright, natural lighting used at the start of the video. Using more neutral and dull colors is more conventional as the indie genre do not adhere to using vibrant colors which stand out; artists like their visuals to reflect their lyrics. The simplicity and natural feel of the lyrics and music need to be reflected by neutral and basic colors. Furthermore, we have decided to use filters to make the video look less modern and more vintage; however, we only want use a tint of filter as the music video is still going to be set in contemporary times. This is also conventional of the genre as a lot of indie music videos like to use vintage elements as it provides a better atmosphere for the most popular theme of the genre: love. Both the use of filters and color alterations is useful in representing the artist as being a lot more natural and authentic as we will use simple editing of visuals as opposed to using over-dramatic special effects like the pop genre does for instance. The image above demonstrates the use of a color alteration; subtly changing the brightness/contrast or applying a filter to a shot will have a huge impact on the mood of the shot. Therefore, it is paramount my group and I pay special attention to editing the coloring of the shots so the audience really feel the emotional intensity of the video. This is hugely beneficial to making a more successful music video.

From looking at all the styles I have used, I can say that I have both conformed and subverted the indie genre codes and conventions. Editing techniques such as slow-paced editing are extremely conventional as they create a better emotional response from the audience, due to their more intense and melancholy nature. Showing a specific clip for longer than you normally would, such as an extremely sad part of the narrative, is highly efficient as it drags out the action and therefore makes the audience feel more emotional when watching the music video. Another reason for this type of editing being conventional is because the slower the pace of the video is, the more realistic it feels; creating verisimilitude within an indie music video is extremely effective for the genre as the narrative is stereotypically based upon real life-events, such as relationships. Therefore, the audience will gain a better feel of what the artist is going through and can relate more to their situation and feelings. However, on the opposing hand, fast-pace editing subverts indie conventions, as this type of editing is stereotypically associated with genres such as pop or electronic/dance, as the music is substantially more upbeat and fast-paced; therefore, the visuals need to match for the video to work. Despite the stray of generic conventions, I still think fast-paced editing will work well for our music video, as it is powerful in adding more intensity and emotion where the tempo of the song increases. I also think that occasionally subverting conventions is important in creating a more successful video as uniqueness keeps it interesting. Furthermore, fast-paced editing will be beneficial in portraying the artist as being extraordinary as the juxtaposition between the shots of the countryside and city demonstrate the artist's busy celebrity lifestyle. However, the other two styles I have opted to use, jump cuts and color alterations, are both conventional of the indie genre. Jump cuts being a simple editing technique prove to be conventional as they reflect the simplicity of indie music. Therefore, they are appreciated by the indie audience as overly complicated editing techniques stray too much away from the genre. With regards to the use of color alterations and filters, this is a clear use of an indie convention, from researching indie music videos. Changing the color of the shot is extremely beneficial when desiring a specific emotional effect and therefore is very advantageous to use.

Conclusively, the audience is successfully able to build a relationship with the artist through the editing we have chosen as the styles are all relatively simple. Therefore, the artist can aspire to what they see as it is more realistic. In addition, adhering to simpler styles means that we can follow Goodwin's theory of matching the music and the visuals and therefore create a more successful video which will be more engaging for the audience. By using editing that allows us to show both the narrative and performance parts of the video in a coherent manner, we can give the audience more information and insight into the artist's life which will enhance the audience-to-artist relationship.

planning lighting and color

Employing a variety of lighting and color are both essential within a music video as they are key to portraying certain moods and emotions which is important in connecting to the audience. For instance, using low-key lighting is helpful in constructing a more depressing or melancholy mood; contrastingly, using high-key lighting produces a happier atmosphere. The lighting helps to tell the audience how the characters are feeling as well as foreshadowing things to come; a shot going from high-key to low-key lighting generally signifies that something terrible is going to occur. Similarly, the use of color within a music video is helps to convey particular emotions as say, for example, all the saturation was drained from a shot, the audience's own emotions would reflect the depressing mood created by doing this. On the other hand, subtly increasing the color used in the video or using filters will subliminally create a brighter and happier mood. However, some artists, such as those of the soul genre, choose to adopt black and white filters in their music videos as this monochrome scheme connotes sadness, reflecting the mood of the lyrics.

Above is a picture of the planning my group and I have done for our lighting and color. One of the lighting styles we have chosen to adopt within our music video is the use of low-key lighting. This style will be used in both the performance scenes as well as scenes where the lyrics are more despondent. However, as a group we decided to gradually decrease the lighting throughout the video as the ending of our narrative is rather sad and depressing. For the performance scenes, the low-key lighting helps to represent the artist as having two sides: one we see in the narrative scenes that make use of high-key lighting and therefore the artist is seen as happier and more innocent, and the other side in the performance parts of the video where the artist is represented as darker, more mysterious and serious. This helps to connect to the audience more as they feel like they are getting to know the artist on a more personal level; we see what the artist is like when she is on her own as well as with people she loves. This consequently allows the audience to relate to the artist more as they understand what it is like to be different when you are lonely in contrast to when you are surrounded by those people who lift you up. However, there are also scenes in the narrative side of the video where we are going to encompass the use of low-key lighting. For example, during the argument scene where the male character relates to the artist his plans to go off to war, we want to create as dark as mood as possible without it looking like a completely different genre. The low-key lighting will successfully add to the tension of the narrative, as well as foreshadowing that something bad is going to happen within the relationship. In addition, to create that more

personal feel to the video during the performance scenes, we have decided to use candlelight instead of just dimming the lights, as this creates a much more intimate feel to the scene as well as representing the artist as being more serious; consequently, her lyrics will also appear to be more deep and meaningful. Using low-key lighting is quite conventional of the indie genre as the artist often likes to create a more sombre mood to reflect the more emotional and deeper meaning behind their lyrics. Furthermore, indie artists conventionally like to use low-key lighting as it allows more focus on specific parts of the shot; for instance, during the performance scenes, the lighting will be constructed so that there is going to be more focus on the artist's face and the piano rather than the content of the room. It is essential that the lighting we use will reflect the lyrics of the song. Therefore, we have ensured that the performance parts of the video are placed in parts where the lyrics reflect the artist's mood and the visuals. For example, we have planned to show a performance shot when the lyrics of "just a trick of light to bring me back around" are sung, as the "trick of light" part fits in the use of candlelight and low-key lighting, as it connotes little lighting. This way, the video appears to be more thought out and well-constructed. In addition, the use of the lyrics "bring me back around" fit in with the artist's mood here as this performance part will be shown after the couple first meet and therefore reflects the artist's positive attitude towards the relationship, as her partner is the one to metaphorically pull her up from falling.

Another lighting style my group and I have decided to use is high-key lighting. This style will be beneficial for the beginning and middle-ish parts of the video as this is where the mood of the narrative is more positive. High-key lighting extremely useful as it connotes a sense of innocence to the relationship. It is also good to contrast with the low-key lighting we will use for the performance scenes which will be placed between the narrative scenes that use high-key lighting. As indie music videos do not tend to use as much high-key lighting as other genres, we do not want to use too much or make the lighting too bright. This is due to the fact that we do not want to represent the artist as being excessively happy, as the later scenes will be very depressing and therefore the video would look quite weird if it fluctuated from two polar opposite emotions. The use of high-key lighting helps to represent the artist as being quite carefree and playful, something which the target audience can relate to, especially whilst being in a relationship. Therefore, the lighting helps to connect the artist and audience on a personal level and the audience appeal to the happiness of the artist, particularly when they can contrast it to the darker and more serious performance scenes. The use of high-key lighting is somewhat conventional of the indie genre as their music stereotypically reflects peaceful and happy memories; however, high-key lighting has a more artificial look to it than natural lighting, which is more commonly used. However, my group and I would still like to consider using it for scenes at the start of the video, such as the couple watching TV or cooking together, etcetera. There is a chance we may not opt for this style of lighting, simply due to the unconventionality of it, particularly fitting into our own music video. If my group and I were to use it, we would place scenes using this style of lighting where the lyrics of "I was buried underneath and all I could see was white" were sung, as "white" connotes bright light, and therefore fits in perfectly with high-key lighting. In addition, the lyrics connote a heavenly image, associated with "the light at the end of the tunnel" and therefore the use of high-key lighting would subliminally help to portray this image. In addition, it will help to bring about connotations of this being a fairytale, almost too good to be true and therefore susceptible to ending.

The final style of lighting my group and I would like to include is natural lighting. In parts of the narrative where the scenes are going to take place outdoors, natural lighting is going to be needed. For example, in the scene where the characters first meet, natural lighting which is quite bright is desire; however as British weather is quite tumultuous right now we have prepared ourselves with an alternative rainy shot which would still work. The reason for having quite sunny natural lighting is so that the shot looks a lot more genuine and personal; a sense of innocence is connoted and therefore reflects the nature of the relationship as well as representing the artist as more authentic and relatable for the audience. The use of natural lighting is quite conventional in indie music videos as a lot of the action generally occurs outside in a rustic location as artists like to represent themselves and their music as quite natural and simplistic.

Using bright natural lighting can be quite conventional in the indie genre as for example, if the the artist wants to ensure that nothing in the shot is in the shadows and everything is focused on in the shot. In addition, capturing a shot in natural lighting allows you to manipulate the sunlight and use the sun's rays to create a more genuine feel to the video, e.g. by filming a person's face whilst the sun's rays are shining on them. However, we will also use natural lighting in shots where there is not a lot of available light; for example, we want to film the scene of the artist running through the forest where it is not too bright, not evidently not when its too dark as well, as you will not be able to see anything. This is due to the mood of the lyrics at this part; the artist is about to discover her partner has died and therefore the natural lighting cannot be captured at a sunny part of the day. We also want to use natural lighting when we film the shots of London as we do not want to heavily edit these scenes; it is better to capture a more genuine shot of the city as it gives an accurate portrayal. In addition, natural lighting helps to represent the artist in much more real and relatable way for the audience as they able to see the artist in the outside world, where they almost cannot hide away like you are able to do inside. My group and I would like to use this style of lighting at the beginning of the music video where the lyrics follow as "you are the avalanche", as the use of "avalanche" connotes pure whiteness, a bright image. Therefore, the use of natural lighting will help to visualize this image. In addition, as avalanches are part of nature, using natural lighting as opposed to high-key lighting helps to keep the authenticity and verisimilitude of the scene. It also ensures to keep to genre conventions of using natural images to create a more rustic feel.

Aside from lighting, my group and I have also opted for using color within the video, or so to say, lack of color. We have chosen to drain the saturation on a variety of shots; we first chose to place a black and white filter on them but decided it was too unconventional of the indie genre as it is more common for the soul genre to do this. The reason for the desire of the slight absence of color is due to wanting to create a more sombre mood where subliminally, there is foreshadowing that something terrible is going to occur at the end of the narrative. The performance parts of the video is where there is going to be most focus on the decrease in saturation as my group and I would like it to contrast with the rest of the video, so the audience feel like there is a lot more to the video and the artist. However, we are also going to turn down the saturation level gradually as the music video progresses as the mood also decreases. For example, during the running scene, although we are going to make use of natural lighting during the pre-evening time of the day, we can also turn down the saturation as well as it will help give that solemn and foreboding mood. This will be a successful way in representing the artist as being quite different to what you normally see; for example, in the pop genre, the artists are usually only representing in one light - usually quite strong and happy. However, in this music video, as it is conventional to the genre, we are only to represent the artist as different to other artists yet more similar to the audience as we all have two sides to us (happy and sad), so it is more relatable. From researching other indie music artists, I have seen quite a few of them drain the saturation in their shots; Birdy's music video for "Skinny Love" is a quintessential example of this and due to the mood of her lyrics, it really fits so I think it would suit "Salvation" as well. Looking at the lyrics of the song, it is clear that this style of color will fit well with the music video as the lyrics become increasingly more depressing. For example, the video starts off with "you are the avalanche", which needs brighter natural lighting, but ends with the artist singing "my salvation, my my" repeatedly. This, on the other hand, connotes a sense of fading away, as the artist is losing her partner and is trying to call him back; therefore the color must be drained from the scene to fit with the melancholy mood.

The fundamental way that the target audience are able to build a relationship with the artist through the use of lighting and color is by the contrast in using high-key/bright natural lighting and low-key/reduced saturation scenes. Furthermore, by separating the narrative and performance scenes by use of lighting and color, the audience are coherently able to distinguish between the emotions that the artist is experiencing. This enables the audience to relate to the artist more as their mood will be a reflection of the artist's. This also allows the audience to be perpetually immersed within the music video and also be engaging with the artist as a lot will be occurring; the audience will have to pay attention to be aware of how the narrative and performance shifts according to the lyrics. In addition, the varying styles of lighting ensure that the artist is represented as being more relatable for the audience; for example, the use of both low-key lighting as well as brighter natural lighting is beneficial in showing how the artist is experiencing both positive and negative emotions, making the narrative more realistic. If the lighting was purely bright and high-key, the audience would not appeal to the video or feel as a greater personal connection with the artist, as it is not particularly relatable; real-life relationships are quite tumultuous. Noting down the styles of lighting and choices of color in this planning stage is extremely beneficial for the production of our music video as it means that we are fully aware of the effect we want to generate from our audience and everything we do will be based on this. Consequently, all of our shots will be filmed according to the mood of the lyrics and the storyline we have picked and therefore will all be relevant, so when it comes to editing, we can get straight with it and create a more successful music video.