Music Video Analysis: Daughter - Numbers

Music Video Analysis: Daughter - Numbers

Directed by Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard, the music video for 'Numbers' is that of a conceptual piece that doesn't really bare any relation to the lyrics. Instead, I believe it is more of a social commentary of social identity and growing up in a modernised society - both commenting on how the world is cruel, warped and in some cases distorted, as well as commenting on how people exist through what they perceive to be as "perpetual pain". 

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LYRICS AND VISUALS

Overall, I could make no distinctive link between the lyrics and the visuals, purely because there were no objects or motifs that solely related to what the song entailed. However, with this being said, the concept of being "numb" was highly evident, as shown through a variety of wide angled and tracking shots that showed the lack of emotion of the lead actress, Natasha O'Keefe. Although the video is conceptual, there are elements of performance within the music video; as seen through wide angled camera shots of a band (the lead singer an old man, and the actual singer of the band 'Daughter', acting as a bassist) performing under brooding, low-key lighting. In this sense, I can make a link between the visuals and lyrics, as there is an obvious element of lip-synching: a convention of a performance style music video. 

GENRE CHARACTERISTICS

Upon first watching the video and already knowing that 'Daughter' is an ambient pop and dream pop group, the music video definitely conformed to the codes and conventions of the genre. For starters, the genre of dream-pop tends to add an element of subtle surrealism to any product. In terms of this music video having an element of "surrealism" to it, it makes the audience question things that inevitably evokes a response from audiences that force them to question the aesthetics of the video, as well as the deeper, perhaps didactic meaning of the product. As my aforementioned point states, the video draws heavily on how we live vicariously through a modernised society, constantly changing our personal identity to suit that of the agenda of the time - yet, we're possibly unaware of the damaging effects that it has on us. An obvious convention of a dream-pop music video is the vast amount of low-key, cool-hued lighting, that in turn evokes a melancholic response from the audience as well as suiting the overall aesthetic. In contrast to this, there were also moments captured within the video (exhibited through wide-angled and tracking shots) that showed neon, vibrant, high-key lighting that had a soft glow to it - reinforcing the genre convention of ambient-pop, as the soft glow of the neon lights added another dimension to the visuals, drawing the audience in and reiterating the atmospheric and brooding tone of the video. The directorial choice of not using quick-cut edited shots also conforms to the genre of dream-pop, as the smooth, continuous tracking shots reiterate a gentle flow throughout the video, adding continuity and allowing audiences to engage more with the genre of ambient-pop. 

LINEAR OR CLOSED NARRATIVE?

In this music video, there is a strong narrative that unfolds throughout the main body of the product - however, personally, it seems a little complex for audiences to fully engage with. The excessive amounts of enigma codes, such as the close-up shots of the deck of cards and the coin, pique audience interest, but makes them work harder in unearthing the narrative. Having watched the video numerous times, it is clear that there is a continuous narrative that flows throughout, but it is also a cyclical narrative, as it opens with a wide-angled camera shot of an apartment bedroom, and ends in the same way - suggesting that the narrative that the actress takes is both continuous and part of her twisted, deluded every day life. The music video is particularly interesting because as we follow the actress throughout the concealed streets of London, the camera directs our attention to several different people, such as the protesters, the homeless man and the woman that injured herself. In terms of a directorial choice, it could be inferred that the woman detaches herself from these things that she deems as "mundane" and unimportant - as she dismissively blows smoke into the faces of the protesters, lighting money on fire and tossing it at the homeless man and finally completely ignoring the injured girl. 

LOOKING/MODE OF ADDRESS

Deducing that the music video is in fact conceptual and isn't performance based, there is an absence of looking throughout the video, but only up until the very end where the lead singer of the band is shown through an extreme close-up and lip-synchs to the camera. Up until this point, the actress, Natasha O'Keefe, remains completely distant to the audience, showing her detachment through the same, nonchalant and emotionless facial expression. The idea of the actress distancing herself from the audience by failing to look directly at the camera, reinforces the message that I decoded from the video - she shows that she is perpetually numb and the lack of acknowledgment of the audience and camera, shows the lack of confidence that she has in herself and her personal identity. Perhaps, she also views the audience as being "mundane" and refuses to acknowledge us because of this - just as she did with the injured girl. 

MIS-EN-SCENE

Conceptually driven, the music video focuses on a girl and her struggle with personal identity and love in a world that does nothing but take from her, and only stresses that it is indeed a cruel world - as seen through the various other characters. The only way that she finds comfort in the world is taking from other people, hence the strong enigma codes of the deck of cards. Various close-up camera shots of the deck of cards, suggests that this is only a game to her; she is calculated and methodical in what she wants, and knows exactly how to get it. She seeks and she takes - relentlessly.  This is the only way to get back at the world from taking her personal identity from her. Considering that she dons a red, satin/silk dress, conjures up imagery of the stock character, the 'Femme Fatale'. Used in a lot of movies and music videos, the 'Femme Fatale' is typically depicted as a beautiful woman with bad intentions; usually to capture lovers. The element of Colour Psychology is again used here, with the colour red usually associated with love, danger, blood and death. O'Keefe searches for men to use and drain of life, with the death of the men happening right after she touches the deck of cards and the coin, and the men being drained of blood. The idea that she touches the deck of cards, shown entirely through high-angled close-up shots, suggests that she knows that she is playing a dangerous game, but this doesn't bother her, as she gets what she wants anyway. The video intimates that life is nothing but a game and a competition and suggests that life is fragile if put into the wrong hands.

The low-key lighting of the video allows for an emotive response from the audience as it follows the harrowing tone of the visuals. In terms of empowerment and disempowerment, there was really no inference that I could make here, as although there were no high-angled or low-angled camera shots of the main actress, it was clear that she remained in a position of power as she was the central figure-head in the music video. The only power inference that I could make would be that of the high-angled shot of the deck of cards and how the woman would always be in a position of power if she continued to play the game of life and death.

Typography for the DigiPak and Magazine

Typography

Choosing a font for any purpose is integral in shaping a way that the text is received by audiences. So, my font selection for my DigiPak and magazine is no different. Ultimately, I want to sustain the relationship between each and every ancillary product that I produce, but also relate it back to the image of the band. 

Firstly, I took to the Internet and conducted a font search because I was adamant that I want to use the actual font that my band use on each of their products; especially the font used on their album covers.  I found a website called "WhatTheFont.com" and ran an image through their font database. The website then isolated each letter (I filled in the letters that were unable to be recognised) and then I let the search run it's course. After about 30 seconds, I am greeted with a screen that displayed five fonts that were closely matched to the original image that I had uploaded.

Honestly, the five fonts looked exactly the same and didn't really have much difference to them. So, choosing the first font that came up (because naturally, I assumed that the first would be the closest match - I was right!) I then perused the Internet yet again for a source that would help me to download the font - as my Microsoft Office account didn't have the font installed. 

I found a very helpful website that allowed me to download the font for free, and after much reconfiguring with my Microsoft Office account and Word, I finally installed the font 'ITC Mendoza Roman Book SC'. 

After the installation, I then started to play around with the font on Word; changing it from italic, to bold, to a combination of both - all in an effort to see which style of font worked best.

I deduced that the most effective way of utilising the style of font would be to keep it simple: just normal caps. Although, the idea of using the bold caps adds my own style to the DigiPak. In no way am I just being "lazy" and copying the actual style of font used, because as I've said, I want to maintain the band image and that continuity of the relationship between the ancillary products - so having a completely mis-matched font would be inappropriate. Ergo, I am justifying my reason for utilising the same font and same font style. However, in order to continuously develop my products, I will explore the standard font style, as well as the bold font style and decided which one is more effective - who knows, it may turn out that the bold would be the most effective, but for now, I am rigid in my intention of conveying the  continuity between my products and  the image of my band.

Further Inspiration and Exploration

Aside from finding the actual font used, I decided to broaden my options in terms of appropriate font styles. I took to a well known font website called "DaFont.com" and began my search there.

As I am sticking closely to the image and genre of my band,  I only focused on fonts that could potentially add to the "dream-pop" and grungy appeal - for example, Typewriter fonts.

The first font that I found, '1952 Rheinmetall', is a Typewriter font that hones in on the grungy appeal of the band. I did like this font as it is in keeping with a simple Serif style that ties in nicely with the overall aesthetic that I am trying to convey, and I will keep it in mind for the development of my ancillary products - however, I am not entirely sure I am convinced by it because of the minute gaps in the lettering. Although, it's not a huge problem, but when trying to put together a cohesive and professional looking product, you would tend to stray away from any unnecessary gaps such as this.

In keeping with the genre of 'dream-pop', I researched alternative, "groovy" fonts that could potentially be appropriate for the DigiPak and magazine. I found a font called "Neon 80's", a style that has curved and smooth edges and is a Sans-Serif font. Overall, I almost like this look as it fits in well with the surrealist spin on the 'dream-pop' genre, but the font almost echoes a playful and jolly feel - something of which I am not really looking for. The band are known for their brooding tunes and if I were to use this font, I believe that audiences would get the wrong impression of the genre and the music itself. Without the Serifs on the lettering, it takes away from the edgy appeal of the band - again, something that I do not want to happen. However, on a positive, I love the continuity of the font - it is absent of any gaps (as compared to the font above) and offers smooth lines that could be appealing for the audience.

I moved on to explore the different types of font relating to the "Script" and Calligraphy category, in an effort to see the effect that widely alternative fonts could have in adding different meanings to the way in which the ancillary products are received.


Having thought I had found the most appropriate font style in "Bernadette", I quickly discovered that this isn't the look that I am going for at all. The font is too illegible and doesn't offer audiences ease when receiving the product. It doesn't work because the band name needs to be in all caps - this is to again, maintain the grunge-like appeal of the band, lowercase wouldn't necessarily work as it would look "too soft" for the image.

Alternative Typewriter (Inspiration).

As you can see, I was inspired to explore alternative Typewriter fonts to see if this was an angle that I was going to pursue in my development and exploration. Out of the two that I have evidenced, I am leaning more towards the 'Linowrite' font, as the 'Modern Typewriter' has an element of distressing - a feature that I am going to include on both the magazine and DigiPak - ergo, too much of this distressing element could look messy and inappropriate. Overall, I am going to stick with a font that has evidence of Serifs, as this small and subtle feature adds so much dimension to the cover - as my DigiPak and magazine shall not be "flat".

DigiPak Exploration, Inspiration and Analysis

DigiPak Exploration, Inspiration and Analysis

Typical Codes and Conventions of a DigiPak

The general codes and conventions of a DigiPak and/or CD cover are as follows:

• Appropriate font and text size
• Correct and accurate register and language
• Barcode, publishing and copyrighting information (noted on the back cover)
• A continuous relationship between the band iconography and their product 
• A track list

Daughter, 'Not To Disappear' (Dream-Pop/Indie)

The album cover for Daughters, 'Not To Disappear' is not limited in its colour palette and features an amalgamation of pastel colours that have been etched and scratched to mimic a distressed look. There is no mention of the bands name on the front of the album cover, however, it is only on the back alongside the track list. The aesthetic of the album continues onto the back side of the CD case, but doesn't flourish with the same amount of colour as it did on the front - the look changes to a more subdued and grungy appeal due to the lack of colour. 

Considering the album name, 'Not To Disappear' and comparing it to the chosen aesthetic of the CD cover, could be connoted with the idea of space and the outer world, as the scratch marks and distressing of the paint morph into surreal shapes and lines, and a continuation of a deep blue follows onto the back cover. A solitary yellow mark could be representative of a planet or a person lost in the external world of space; perhaps mirroring an expanse of a subconscious - ergo, lost in their own mind. Having heard the songs on the album, this isn't a far stretch as the songs speak of identity loss and becoming lost in your own mind. 

The choice not to have the artists name on the front cover leaves a sense of ambiguity and could possibly draw the audience into seeking the artist. Having researched the other album covers for the artist, it is interesting to note that the artist doesn't present herself on any of the covers, but instead uses pictures of children and a swooping piece of fabric. I believe that the choice to do this would stem from the fact that the artist isn't looking for popularity and fame by projecting her image for mass audiences, but instead finds comfort in producing beautiful music.

Font size and choice is an integral part of any CD cover and DigiPak. The choice for a simple and sleek font on this CD cover conforms to what you would see on an album cover concerning an artist within the realm of the dream-pop or indie genre. The smoothness of the font and size is aesthetically pleasing and doesn't detract from the illustration on the cover. Although, the all-caps adds an edge of harshness to the overall look of the cover. Using a barcode in the bottom left-hand corner allows people to purchase the CD and also makes the CD eligible for sale. The CD also features the copyright and publishing information, positioned next to the barcode. This informs people of the producing and recording companies, and suggests that the CD could not be copied and sold for alternative purposes.

I am inspired to use an aesthetic like this as the distressed look of the album covers could translate to the intricate workings of a relationship. Obviously, the colours would change and perhaps lean more towards striking colours such as a deep red or purple, instead of using pastel colours. In relation to my music video, the aesthetic of my footage is gritty and edited with cool coloured hues and this was done to fit the genre of 'dream-pop' and the overall aesthetic of my chosen band.

My Bloody Valentine, 'Loveless'(Dream-Pop & Rock)

This album cover is considerably different to the aforementioned. Compared to Daughters album cover, this cover details more of a psychedelic element to it, reeling the audience in with a vibrant, digitalised magenta colour. It also features a very prominent image of a guitar, following the code and convention of a rock band. The tilt-shifted appeal of the CD cover offers a simplistic yet captivating image for the audience to engage with; with the bright colour being the central focus. 

What is interesting to note is that there is no capitalisation of any word throughout the entirety of this CD package; perhaps offering a cleaner and softer appeal to the look instead of utilising harsh capitalisation. The font is also smoothed and curved, and doesn't resemble any harsh fonts that you would typically find on a rock genre CD cover. Compared to the front, the back of the CD cover is a binary opposite colour; a pastel off-blue, yet. Considering that My Bloody Valentine is a well known rock and dream-pop band, the tilt-shifted glow of the guitar conforms to the genre of dream-pop, whereas they still maintain the iconography of the rock genre by using the electric guitar. Here, we can see a convergence of codes and conventions of two widely different genres. 

It is interesting to note that they haven't mentioned the album name, which is 'Loveless' and haven't included the barcode on the back cover. This could have been done because of a worldwide distribution; thus, the barcode may have been stuck on, instead of being included in the final print. Although, this is highly unusual as every single artist or band when releasing a CD must have the barcode, publishing and copyrighting information on the back cover. 

If I were to take inspiration from this CD cover, it would be the use of the tilt-shift, but no so much the glow of the iconography, as I feel this wouldn't fit in with my overall aesthetic of my music video - it would be too dreamlike and soft. In one of my previous posts, I included potential photographs (my own) that could be included on the DigiPak. These photographs were the hands of my mother and father and showed their wedding rings at the forefront of the image. Perhaps, I could tilt-shift that image and use the inspiration from Daughters album cover (the distressed paint and scratching) to lay over the top of the image. However, I would include the artists name and the album name on the front and the spine of the DigiPak - something that Daughter didn't do.

Still Corners, 'Strange Pleasures' (Dream-Pop & Psychedelic Pop)

This album cover represents both the psychedelic and dream-pop genre of the band, 'Still Corners'. The most notable feature of this album cover is the vibrant, digitalised colouring of the desert which has then had an overlay of wispy clouds added to it. This certainly adds an element of surrealism to the artwork. In keeping with their genre, the scripture that is used for the name of the band and the name of the album, is almost illegible, but is entirely associated with messy, handwritten font, again, adding the appeal of the "carefreeness" that is associated with the two genres. 

Inside the DigiPak, the track list is revealed. The track list is printed using a sans serif font and brings back the "put together" look of the album that was perhaps taken away with the almost illegible writing on the front of the album cover. 

There is a continuation of the psychedelic colour scheme that follows through onto the inside of the DigiPak and onto the back cover. However, on the inside of the DigiPak, it can be noted that the blue hasn't been consistent and has been replaced with a dull, deep red. This was probably done as the constant of blue throughout the entire package would have been overbearing and detracted from the track list that remains on the inside cover. 

The publishing and copyrighting license is noted on the inside cover of the DigiPak and can be seen on the lower left-hand corner of the inside page. To complete the entire packaging, the band have also decorated and illustrated the actual CD, using reference from the original front cover of the album. This is so that there is a continued theme and aesthetic and reinforces the psychedelic genre of the band. 

Although this packaging reflects the vibrancy of the dream-pop and psychedelic genre, I wouldn't include this much colour into my work as this doesn't reflect my own personal interpretation, nor does it reflect the mood that I am trying to convey in the video. The only element that I would consider taking from this DigiPak, would be the overlays. 

M83, 'Hurry Up, We're Dreaming' (Ambient Pop/Dream-Pop)

Upon first glance, this album cover uses dull digitalised colours, such as the magenta, green and cyan in a peculiar setting. Looking closer, you can tell that the colours have been through an overlay process in which the colours start to merge to create a sort of kaleidoscopic mirage, which in turn, reinforces and conforms to the ambient pop genre. The text is bold and obvious, immediately drawing someone to the name of the artist; the same can also be said about the album title. However, it is an interesting choice to take away spaces between the words and condense the title together. I believe this was effective and worked well because of the bold and regular font segregation, otherwise the text would have looked flat and unprofessional. When reading the album title, you are naturally drawn to the "Hurry Up" in bold and personally, I read it with a harsher intonation and emphasise this part of the album title. Subconsciously, this actually makes me want to listen to the album more and it's as if the artist is trying to usher audiences to "hurry up" and listen to the album. I tested this theory of mine on my parents and my sister. I asked them how they would read the title and they all said that they would definitely put more emphasis on the "hurry up" - so it wasn't a total stretch. The album cover in itself if entirely ambiguous and features three enigmatic characters that audiences would struggle to relate to, thus, creating an enigma as we wonder if these characters are prevalent throughout music videos or part of the band and it's image (used as iconography).

Looking at the back and spine of the album cover, the track list is clear and has a clean, professional look to it. The publishing information and copyright information is evident as well, as it is situated next to the barcode. If there was one criticism I could make about this album cover, it would be the confusion about the separation of the songs by the bold numbers in the middle. .

On the inside of the DigiPak, there are photographs that feature the band and their performances, as well as their logo. Since M83 are an ambient-pop group, they are commonly associated with everything to do with space and the outer galaxy and this is reinforced because of their popular surreal and ambient music. There is an image of a galaxy on the far right section of the DigiPak that continues onto the actual CD along with the name of the band. All in all, there is a clear colour aesthetic throughout the entire packaging and the artwork maintains its deep purple and magenta hues.

The only thing that really inspired me about this DigiPak and album cover was the dark colours that contrasted with the digitalised palette. Although, I have to consider my intention and the mood of my music video, and when considering this, I feel as if it would be mismatched if I were to use bright colours such as this. I believe that colours as vibrant and as obvious as these, would only really appeal to an electronic band, purely because of the high digitalisation of the palettes.

Purity Ring, 'Another Eternity' (Dream-Pop/Synth-Pop)

This is yet another album cover that toys with simplicity and pastel colours; both elements work effectively in conveying the genre of the band. The singular woman that is obviously suspended in the air evokes a feeling of the ability to dream, shifting through time and getting lost in the world of music, and upon hearing their music, I definitely agree with the latter. The sounds that Purity Ring focus on is that of an upbeat, yet oddly calming tempo with moments of surreal melodies; allowing your mind to wander. Dressed in a white sheer dress, the suspended woman reinforces the bands image of being "pure" etc. as typically, in Colour Psychology, the colour white is often associated with virgin-like qualities and the art of being "pure". Another notable feature to the front of the album cover is that of the rather obvious pink circle that is detailed with a range of intricate lines and patterns. A rather obvious observation that can be made is the fact that the band haven't included their name anywhere on the album cover and DigiPak - perhaps, as stated before, this was done as they want to keep their image "low-key" but still continue to make their music.

Turning to the back of the album cover, you are instantly drawn to the four symbols at the top of the cover. The only obvious one that I can identify is that of the moth located second to the right, the others are left totally ambiguous and could be considered the emblems that are used as iconography for the band and their fan base.

As always, the track list features on the back in clean, uppercase font; adding to the overall sleek aesthetic of the DigiPak. It includes the licensing agreements but also the location of the producing studio that seems to be in London. Again, the barcode is featured making it eligible for purchase.

In terms of representation of the band, the colour palette seems to relate to their idea of "purity" and the DigiPak is devoid of digitalised colours and features a pastel pink throughout. Looking below, the unfolded card also has the pastel pink colour, but it is obvious that there is a gradient or ombre effect to the colouring.

Personally, I really like this album cover and DigiPak, it remains simple yet I believe it holds deeper connotations that perhaps the avid fan base may understand. However, that being said, I don't think I could take that much influence and inspiration from this cover as is it a total binary opposite to what I actually want to produce for my own packaging.

Throughout the research of different DigiPaks and album art throughout the genre of dream-pop, psychedelic-pop and ambient-pop, I have gained a lot of influence and inspiration that I could include in my final products. 

Influences

Influences for 'Keep On Loving You'

The intention of my music video is to convey emotion without dialogue, and to provide the audience with something that could resonate with them on a personal level. Although most all music videos have no dialogue, I wanted to do something a little different and focus purely on expression and gesture in an effort to convey differing emotions that the audience could identify with. As I underwent the filming process, I thought of ways that I could convey certain emotions such as sadness, happiness and joy. Through research, I discovered the art of 'silent film'. 

A 'silent film' is a film with no recorded sound with a narrative that is expressed solely through gesture, mime and placards (pertaining to the eras 1895 - 1936). I was inspired by the concept of 'silent film' because of the way that narrative can be expressed without dialogue and can direct the audience to muster up their own emotional response and interpretation of the moving image. My research led me to discovering a pioneering silent film by none other than the great Alfred Hitchcock (who is incidentally one of my favourite directors!). 'The Lodger' by Hitchcock, is a classic thriller that follows the trail of uncovering the murderous path of a man who resides at a married couples home. 

What I found immensely fascinating from watching the trailer is that cinema can do so much without even trying! It evoked such a happy response that I'm going to watch the film over the weekend! The absence of dialogue didn't bother me at all, in fact, it urged me to work harder in discovering the narrative - but it didn't feel tiresome to do so. Because of this, it is clear that expression and gesture was going to feature heavily within my music video, which is why I felt that I needed to include varying close-up camera angles that told a story, whilst also conveying a particular emotion. I felt captivated by the way that the film was shot and how the camera managed to capture every single twinge of emotion on faces of the characters. 

Aside from researching the art of 'silent film', I was also inspired by one of my all time favourite films, 'Brick' (2005). Directed by Rian Johnson, 'Brick' is a neo-noir mystery/thriller film that follows the protagonist in his journey into the realm of a high-school crime circle following the disappearance of his ex-girlfriend, Emily. The reason why this film is one of my favourites is because of it's aesthetic and the way that it was filmed. Overall, the film has a gritty and grungy appeal, but I pay the most attention to the use of cool toned overlays during several of the more melancholic scenes. 

The film features the same aesthetic throughout and convinces audience to maintain their engagement through a variety of camera shots as well as the complementary use of noise and grungy aesthetic appeal - this is what captivated me, anyhow. Focusing on the scenes of desperation and sadness that Brendan faces when uncovering his ex-girlfriends body, the footage has a soft, cool hue that intensifies the emotion that the audience are going to experience, but also highlights the pain of the characters. Because of this, I am going to use this as inspiration for my music video as I want to take the audience on a journey of emotion through my choices of camera angles and editing. 

There is also a discreet element of Colour Psychology here as the audience are led to feel the emotion of sadness and pain because of the associations with the colour blue. In my editing, I will be using this similar idea as I have already said, the intention is to evoke different emotional responses from the audience.

My footage

As mentioned in a previous post, I have also taken inspiration from a music video by Daughter. The music video, 'Doing The Right Thing' is full of the aesthetics that I want to achieve in my final product. Specifically looking at the colouring and editing of the video, the contrast with warm and cool toned footage is evident and is something that the audience will resonate with in terms of differing emotions that they are going to experience. It is obvious here that the main colouring of the screenshot that I have selected from the video is warm and exhibits a fire off-set to the right of the screen. For comparison, I have also included a screen shot of my footage of which details how I have drawn inspiration from this music video.

Footage from 'Doing The Right Thing' (Inspiration)

In addition to this, I also drew inspiration from the close-up shot of the eyes of the woman from Daughter's music video. I included an extreme close up camera shot of my mothers eyes in my own video.

Considering that my music video details the undying relationship of my parents and how it has grown throughout the years, I intended to use photographs that detailed their progression throughout their separate lives before meeting one another. So upon finding this video, it was with my luck that it actually had a 2 second frame of a wedding photograph of the two protagonists in the video. I observed how the photograph was filmed very closely and pondered on how I could make the photographs stand out in my music video. So, combined with the fire that I saw within the music video, I then tested how the photographs would look when filmed in front of my fireplace. It worked extremely well and had so much effect that I stuck with the idea. Symbolically, the flames over the photographs signified that their love for each other is undying and is ripe with passion and desire; as fire is typically denotes this.

Screenshot from Daughter music video (Inspiration)

The inspiration that I drew from the music video for Daughter was the use of extreme-close up camera shots. As you can see below, the screen shot from my music video exhibits my mothers side profile and eyes. Combined with the editing that I did through Final Cut, the frame conveys the emotion of sadness and shows my mother reminiscing about fond memories.

I didn't go into filming with the intention of copying the music video as considering that my band didn't have a music video for this song, I was given so much creative freedom.

Screenshot from my music video

Overall, my influences have been varied and I have enjoyed researching different elements that
would direct my music video in the right direction, but also satisfy my creative talent. Aside from the aesthetics and camera angles, I was also interested in the use of depth of field in the music video for Daughter. Because of this, you will see a range of transitional shots (see post about Transitional Footage for examples) that focus on nature and depth of field.

Screenshot from Daughters music video (Inspiration)

Pitch for A2 Music Video

Pitch for A2 Music Video

General Narrative and Plot

My music video for the A2 part of the course will follow a group of reckless teenagers, comprising of 4-5 actors, and their nighttime debauchery through town. Walking down The Grove, the group wanders into a wine store (Martinez Wines), and steals several bottles of alcohol; they then run through the streets where they make their way up to the Moors. Whilst up there, they start drinking and engaging into boisterous teenage activity. As the music video follows a repetitive narrative, during the second night, the group find themselves walking through Ilkley again, but a little more subdued in their attitude and engage into typical teenage activities, such as smoking and consuming alcohol. The music video concludes with the group standing on top of the Moors hugging and laughing as dusk falls over the town.

Song Choice

The song of choice for my music video is 'Into The Wild' performed by Wrabel; a Los Angeles based, contemporary R&B singer/songwriter. 'Into The Wild' features as synth track on the album 'Sideways' released in 2014. Operating under several record labels such as Island Records and Universal, Wrabel has collaborated with Dutch DJ, Afrojack following a remixed release of his song 'Ten Feet Tall', that consequently resulted in an international hit and gained publicity from over 10 million people.

'Into The Wild' was featured on the American television series, 'Suits', a programme that has 3.6 million viewers every season; thus gaining it's notoriety from the worldwide population.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Am5qJmNAoK8

Mood

I have been inspired by many indie videos that exhibit a certain grittiness and raw quality to their visuals; I wish to translate this into my own music video for 'Into the Wild'. Many of my influences came from the band 'The 1975' and the way that they shoot their videos; many show raw emotion and melancholia is a prevalent feature within all of their music videos. The element of Colour Psychology is also evident within their music videos, more specifically, the 'Somebody Else' video. This has greatly influenced my mood and it will also translate through the editing process. My intentions are to make the music video sit comfortably within the realms of the 'Indie' genre, so as to ensure this, I will edit any obvious warm, orange/yellow lighting so that it is transformed into cooler tones. Even though the original song is a synth track with elements of R&B, personally, I believe that it would be more appropriate to incorporate elements of the indie genre as to comfortably suit my overarching narrative; which is of paramount of importance in order to ensure the success of the video.

Considering that the music video follows the narrative of out of control teenagers, in order to reinforce and justify my reasons for the way in which I film this video, so that both the visuals and narrative coalesce successfully, I intend to use a first person camera perspective. This means that I will be running with the camera in order to create a disjointed effect that coincides with the theme of the video in terms of narrative. The shakiness of the camera is what I intend to have in the final product, I won't be using the stabilising editing tool in Final Cut to change this; it is purely intentional.

Organisation

Just because I won't be working one to one with the artist, doesn't mean that I can't explore the organisational element elsewhere in preparation for this video. My intentions are that during one part of the narrative, the group of teenagers steal bottles of wine from an independent alcohol store located on The Grove, called Martinez Wines. Because of this, I will prepare a small pitch for the owner to ensure that no bottles are going to be actually stolen or broken; all I will need is several frames of footage so that it will fit into my video. Failing this, I have a back-up plan that will ensure that none of the narrative is lost or I am behind schedule with filming and completing the coursework.

Setting

The abundance of beautiful scenery around Ilkley is unlimited. I intend to keep my music video locations local and make use of the heritage and setting that Ilkley offers. The Grove comes alive at night; floods of warm, orange lighting cover the streets inducing an intimate setting of which I can use to my advantage as I won't have to carry around extra lighting, and I intend to keep the lighting throughout the video more intimate than high-key. Moving to The Moors, the isolated setting offers panoramic views of Ilkley from an elevated position of which I intend to use for various shots throughout my video.

As well as using The Grove for the setting, I will also use one of it's landmarks; the Bandstand. Here, I intend to capture a spinning shot of one of the couples featuring in the video.