Ancillary Text Mood Board

I have created a mood board of a selection of album covers I like and would like to use as a base for my ancillary texts. Out of these album covers my favourite one is the bottom right had corner one- DRENGE. To match my music video I am hoping to create a black and white album cover- with a photo of each of my performers- Jack and Tash on the front and the back of the cover. The style of photo I am trying to recreate is like the one on the top left album cover- TOM ODELL- ANOTHER LOVE. Second from the left on the bottom row is the actual album cover for the song I am doing. I think the simplicity of the cover reflects the song, however I am keen to include photos of the artists on my cover.

First Shots

I have created a selection of GIFS of my shots just to get an idea of the kind of thing I have got, and at what point I should start and end the shot. The GIF maker is really useful and I am planning to use it more often during the production stages of my product. I am not able to put it into black and white or work on the speed, but just for a basic tool it is very useful and allows me to post lots of shots onto my blog.

First Try- Basic Editing and New Ideas

I took 3 shots that I filmed today and have put them together using a very basic editing program. This gave me an idea of how I want my actual video to look- and gave me a insight into timings. Originally, I wanted my editing to match the beat at the start of the song, with each shot lasting 1.25 seconds, however after doing this I think I would like some shots to last a lot longer. I slowed each shot down to a speed of 0.5x and I think this is a good to speed to use when putting my video in slow motion. I haven't done any work on the transitions between the shots as I will need a more complex editing program to achieve this, however I am pretty happy with how this basic editing looks. I have also put it in black and white, which is what I will be using on every shot throughout my video.

The shots match the ones on my storyboard, and once I have managed to film the male actor I will put the shots of the two together. I am using my storyboard as a guide for the timings, however it is more than likely I will change some aspects of the storyboard as I come up with new ideas. So far I have:

• Decided I will probably change the length of the shots in the introduction. This would be unconventional as typically shots are edited to the beat of the music, however in this case I think it would be more effective not to.
• I am unsure about some of the shots on my storyboard where the couple are together, as I feel they don't fit the song very well. I am undecided as to whether to take these out and replace them with new two shots of the actors but with no physical contact. 

FIRST DAY OF FILMING- 7TH DECEMBER 2014

Today, I started filming my video with my actress, Tash. Unfortunately, Jack had work commitments so could not film today, but I managed to get lots of useful shots of Tash. We filmed on Beverley Westwood, and had lots of locations available to us due to it being such a large space.A broken tripod and one ruined pair of shoes later, I ended up with several really useful shots which make up for about 15 seconds of my video.

We filmed in several locations on the Westwood, including the mass open space and covered wooded areas. There were minimal people where we were filming so we didn't have any interrupted shots and it ran very smoothly. The trees provided great mise-en-scene for the video and it was exactly how I had pictured it on my storyboard . I told Tash to wear dark clothing and I think she picked a great outfit that fit in really well with the genre of my song.

Due to Tash being a close friend. communication was easy and we both arrived at our designated meeting point on time. I checked up on the weather forecast this morning, and there was no rain predicted, and despite it being freezing we had really good weather to film.

Storyboard- First 30 seconds

I am in the process of completing my storyboard, and have uploaded the first 30 seconds of it. This part of the song is just instrumental- and is the section I am planning to film and have edited by the Christmas deadline.

Health and Safety Grid

First proposed day of filming- Sunday 30th November

I am planning to begin my filming this Sunday, on the 30th November. I am hoping to shoot to first 30 seconds of my video- which will be enough footage to work on and edit in order to achieve a first draft by christmas. I have been in touch with my actors and both should be free to film on this day. I am hoping to get my filming done on Beverley Westwood, so the weather on that day will be important. As long as it isn't raining, any other weather like wind will not be a problem. In my first 30 seconds, some shots are repeated so this means it hopefully should not need any more time than Sunday- and am hoping to film from around 10-3.

WEATHER

If this weather report stays accurate, it should be fine to film on Sunday.

Communication is really important when relying on other people to help make a product successful- so its vital to keep in touch regularly. Tash goes to college and she is a close friend, so its very easy to double check dates and times with her, and she can easily pass the message onto Jack. 

UPDATE:

Unfortunately, I didn't get the chance to film what I had originally planned to on Sunday due to unforeseen circumstances. This was no fault of my actors or anyone involved and am hoping to get most filmed next weekend. It is very hard to organise filming days as everyone has other commitments, and are expected to balance college, jobs, coursework, social life and relationships, however with careful planning I should be able to organise set days to film that wouldn't interrupt any thing else going on. I am planning to go out and get some location shots this week to use in my 30 second introduction, and then film my actors on the weekend. 

Cast List

I have finally found my actors that will be in my music video. I know them both and I am sure they will be reliable people who will come to shoots whenever I plan them. They both live locally so this is convenient when it comes to filming in my local area, as there will be minimal travel for either of them. I am hoping to plan out a full shooting schedule so that both I and them know exactly when we will be filming, and so the shoots don't clash with other things such as work etc. I think both actors fit really well with the theme and genre of my song and video and will definitely work really well. I think it's useful to work with friends, as you feel more comfortable telling them what to do, and they will understand how important this video is in order to get a good grade.

NATASHA NEWMAN

Tash is a close friend of mine and is an A2 student at Wyke College. She studies Drama and Graphics as well as Media so she is a very creative person. She is a keen actor so I know can play a good character in my video. It is helpful that she also does media, as she realises how important this project is. She has the perfect look for my video and she is not nervous in front  of a camera- which is vital in order to create a professional video. 

JACK WILSON

 Jack lives in Beverley so it makes filming a lot easier, as everyone lives in the same place. Jack and Tash are also in a relationship- which makes the chemistry on camera a lot more convincing. Although Jack doesn't study media he still knows how important this project is as Tash is also doing it, so I know he will be very helpful and reliable. 

Costume ideas- Male Actor

Due to the genre of my music video- it's important I select the right costumes to fit in with both the genre and the lyrics and meaning behind the song. There are several different ideas I have had when it comes to different costumes- both for the male and the female who are appearing in my video.

COLOUR SCHEME: Due to the fact my video will be edited in black and white, having colourful clothing will not only be pointless, but would not fit into the genre anyway even if my video was in colour. The clothing used will be BLACK, AND DARK COLOURS. I may also use some white clothing to contrast against the dark colours.


Clothing: For my male actor, I want him to be wearing very simple clothing. This will include BLACK SKINNY JEANS, a PLAID SHIRT and a WAX JACKET, with shoes such as BROGUES or LOAFERS.  

Hair: There is NO PARTICULAR WAY I want him to style his hair, just whatever he usually does will be fine, as long as it's NOT AN EXTRAVAGANT STYLE. Unlike girls, there is not a lot of attention paid to a guys hair, so this will not be a problem in my video. 

Costume, hair and make-up ideas- Female Actress

Due to the genre of my music video- it's important I select the right costumes to fit in with both the genre and the lyrics and meaning behind the song. There are several different ideas I have had when it comes to different costumes- both for the male and the female who are appearing in my video.

COLOUR SCHEME: Due to the fact my video will be edited in black and white, having colourful clothing will not only be pointless, but would not fit into the genre anyway even if my video was in colour. The clothing used will be BLACK, AND DARK COLOURS. I may also use some white clothing to contrast against the dark colours.

FEMALE

• Costume: There will be minimal costume changes in my video, however I would like the girl to be wearing RIPPED BLACK JEANS and PLAIN GREY TSHIRT, with simple shoes such as boots or canvas shoes. She will also be wearing a ZIP UP BLACK HOODIE, as when filming on the beach I would like her to have her hood up. She will also need a DENIM JACKET When filming just her face and shoulders, she will need to be wearing a SLEEVELESS BANDEAU/CAMI, as it gives the impression that she is not wearing anything on her top half. I want this particular close-up shot to show her make-up running down her face and really reflect her emotion, and not be distracted by gaudy clothing. 
• Make-up: The make-up will be dark, DARK EYES AND DARK LIPS- with a possible red lipstick. Even though this will not show on camera, the MATTE DARK effect of the red will work really well in emphasizing darker lips. Her eyes will be done with SMOKEY SHADOW and WINGED BLACK EYELINER, with MINIMAL FACE MAKE-UP- just foundation and powder to prevent washing out on camera. As the video progresses,her make-up will eventually deteriorate, and in a few shots it will be running down her face. I chose black make-up as this will show up the wear of the make-up really well.  
• Hair: I do not want anything fancy doing to her hair, just LEAVING IT DOWN maybe with a slight WAVE to it. It needs to stay really SIMPLE with NO ELABORATE STYLES as this reflects with style of music. I do not want the hair to be up because in several scenes she will be having her food up- and this looks a lot better with hair down. 

Visual Storyboard

Song cut

Due to the length of my song being 5:26, I have chosen to cut my song down to a more realistic time, as I feel this would help make my video better and look more professional, as I won't have ridiculous amounts of footage to deal with. I have chosen to fade out my song from 3:09, and it will have completely stopped by 3:15. I have chosen this point to fade the song, as there is a drastic change in the music, and It would not have been professional to cut the song right in the middle of the change, as it would not have sounded right. By stopping the song as 3:15, it stills give me a good chunk of music to deal with, but not an excessive amount of surplus footage.

Location Ideas and Lighting

In terms of where I plan to film my video, I have considered several locations around where I live. I have chosen these locations as they will be easy to access via public transport or just by walking, and there is no fee to rent places out as they are all public.

LOCATION 1: BEVERLEY WESTWOOD

Beverley Westwood is right near my house, and is a huge piece of land to be able to film on. It is perfect for long shots and pan/tracking shots, as there is a huge amount of space to work with. The only downside of this place is that it is a popular place for walkers, dog walkers, and horse-riders so it cant be guaranteed that no one will disrupt the filming, as I am unable to secure a spot and not let people walk there. One way I could solve this problem is going at times where there will be less people, such as during the day on weekdays when many people will be at work, or filming there at night- but I would need sufficient lighting for this.
The Westwood also has many wooded paths that I could also use, which looks like a completely different place. Overall, I think the Westwood is a very versatile location to film and I am lucky to have such easy access to it.

LOCATION 2: HORNSEA BEACH

Hornsea Beach is in easy access of me via public transport, and is a really classic British beach to film on. I really like the fact it is a pebbly beach, and in my mind I want long shots of people walking over the pebbles filmed here. The fact that the sea will be choppy due to the fact we are not practically in winter will fit in really well with the recurring themes and tone of my video. It is not a particularly a happy, upbeat song so the choppiness of the waves will fit perfectly. Due to the fact it is now winter, the beach won't be particularly busy, however people are permitted to walk their dogs on their at this time of year so there is always a risk of people accidentally getting into shots. I will attempt to solve this problem the same way as on the Westwood, and also politely asking people not to walk in front of the camera if we are in the middle of filming.

These are my main 2 outdoor locations that I will be filming at, however a few others will be included;

• A house (bedroom and bathroom)
• Wooded paths 
• Farmers Field

LIGHTING IDEAS
My video is going to be entirely edited in black and white, however this makes the lighting extremely important in order to make sure parts of the image are not darker or lighter than the others. I always want the focus to be on the actors face and the emphasis to always be on their emotional expression. I would like to film some of my video in the dark- so would need bright lighting in order to make sure everything is still visible. I had the basic idea of shining a torch underneath the face of my actor- as it highlights their expression and can look really effective. This would be the more ideal way as
it would be difficult to transport lighting to all my locations. I am planning to do some test shots to see if this technique works.

NARRATIVE ANALYSIS: Bob Dylan- Beyond Here Lies Nothing

Tim O'Sullivan (1998) argues that all media texts (including this video) tell some kind of story- usually about ourselves-the stories of us as a culture. This theory is present in Bob Dylan's video, as throughout the video it tells the story of a man who has kidnapped a woman and intends to use her for his own purposes and are both violent towards each other and then ends in a way we do not expect. Regardless of what happens in the video, it still narrates a story that is relevant to us as a culture today. O'Sullivan argues all media text includes 3 factors, all of which are present in this video;

• NARRATIVE- the narrative of the video is it's structure. The simple narrative structure of this video involves the beginning- where everything appears to be normal and the man has just arrived at the house, the climax/middle- where the violence breaks out between the pair, and the conclusion/end- where the woman runs over her abductor, but then they kiss. 
• DIEGESIS- The diegesis is the fictional world in which the story takes place. The video is not set in a particular town, and does not specify where it is set, so therefore it is set in its own diegesis.
• VERISIMILITUDE- This is simply the quality of appearing to be real or true, and for the audience to be able to relate to it. This video has strong verisimilitude as it's narrating an issue that happens in real life, and there is no abnormal or imaginary features involve.

Kate Domaille (2001) claims that every story ever told can fit into one of eight story types. In this case, Bob Dylan's video would fit into the 'Romeo And Juliet' story type. Although it is not a typical love story- it is a contemporary one. Even though the man is brutally attacking the woman, and she is also re-acting by stabbing him and attempting to run him over in a car, they end up kissing at the end. Even though it appears that they both hate each other- deep down they love each other.

Vladimir Propp (1928) studied the narrative structure of Russian Folk tales and concluded that each character could fit into one of 7 broad character types; The villain, the hero or victim, the donor, the magical helper, the princess and her father, the dispatcher and the false hero. In this case, the male in the video would be 'The Villain', as he has kidnapped the girl and is abusing her and wants to use her for his own personal purposes. In terms of the woman, she would be considered 'The Victim' in the video, as she has been abducted by the man and being abused. Although she also lashes out, she is doing this purely in self defence so cannot be seen as a villain.

Tzevtan Todorov (1977) recognised that a narrative always goes through 5 stages, which are evident in this music video;
STAGE 1: A point of stable equilibrium, where everything is satisfied, calm and normal. In this video it is seen when the man is walking into his room at the motel after he has been shopping, and it is not known that he has kidnapped a woman.
STAGE 2: This stability is disrupted by some kind of force, which creates a state of disequilibrium. This is when the man opens the door, and sees the ropes and blood on the bed without the girl there. He learns that she has tried to escape.
STAGE 3: Recognition that a disruption has taken place. This is when the woman hits the man unexpectedly from behind the door.
STAGE 4: It is only possible to recreate equilibrium when action is taken against the disruption. I'd consider this stage to be when she leaves the room and manages to get into the car and begins to drive off.
STAGE 5: Restoration of a new state of equilibrium- the final state is not the same as the initial one. In this video, this is when she leaves the car and picks up the man's head that she has just tried to kill, and kisses him.

Where will my video feature?

Video influences

The XX- a brief history.

The XX by s0016439 on GoAnimate

3 Narrative Ideas