Completion!

The video is now completed - filmed and edited! Final touches to be made to all aspects of the tasks to make sure each one is up to scratch, however I am fairly satisfied with how the three individual pieces (2 ancillary and main) of the music video production and advertisement have turned out. I am still unable to upload any images or print screens, but I am working on doing so both before Christmas break and over the holiday itself at home.

Filming

Most filming has now been completed, either on the farm or in the woods in Houghton. All band production has been filmed at the farm in an empty workshop, and I have filmed Emma within the trees in the woods trying to get a spooky feel to the area. I am currently working on extracting all of the clips that I need, and erasing all those that are unnecessary.

Filming went quite well, and the band members worked really well together in coming together and looking like a metal band.

Storyboard

Storyboard section print screen.

Font very small on P.S but on hard copy text is readable.

Left box: Shot number and duration of shot
Next column: Should contain still shots, wouldn't upload properly though
Third column: Brief description
Fourth column: Shot size, camera movement, camera angle, lighting
Last column: Setting, props, costume

More planning

I am pleased to say I have found my template that I created for my story board of my main task! As a result, all planning for ancillary tasks is now compelte, and planning for the main video is underway whilst the second ancillary task is finished off.

Finalised planning for video

Setting

Model - Filmed in the woods, surrounded by trees. This will not only give an impression of seclusion, but also one of eerieness accompanied by the timing of when I film which will hopefully be around 4 o'clock so as I said before it is not too dark but also light enough to create a strange effect to add to the portrayal of insanity.

Band - Abandoned workshop at the farm. There are spare bright lights there that were originally used for when the carpenter needed to do some cutting or modelling very precisely. Therefore these lights can be moved around and used to create the atmosphere that I want. Also the setting itself is quite confined but will also enable the band members to move about and I can then direct them to do certain actions that will reflect the typical styles that MSI display in their performances.


Costume

Model - Basic "grunge" clothes, nothing dressed up as the point of the model is to portray insanity, not a picture perfect female as in most music videos. Minimal make up and tied back hair, basic costume and nothing too extravagant.

Band - The masks will be the main focus, as I wanted to adapt away from the original band. Whereas MSI often dress in strange attire (such as Jimmy Urine wearing fish net vests and shorts with the crotch out to look like a skirt), the focus for my band was more on the facial and obvious appearance as opposed to the costume itself. However at the same time I also tried to make sure that all members of the band wore dark colours so that there was a certain uniformity to contrast the different masks.


Band props

The model requires no additional props, however the band will inevitably require instruments. I also intend to make full use of anything that has been left in the work shop, for instance I am aware that there is an old wooden chair, side boards and general use of the space itself. I will focus more on the lead singer, allowing him to use any resources at hand to emphasise the "insanity" theme and project the feeling of going crazy.
MSI's main engaging aspect is their ability to put on a truly unique performance, and therefore the lead singer will be directed to do whatever he deems necessary to get that point across as much as possible.

Photos and further planning

During half term i have taken a handful of photos I hope to use for both ancillary tasks. I have also decided upon certain themes for my video as a finalised idea.

• Stemming from the metal band Slipknot's image, I have decided that I want my band members to wear masks during the video and the shoot. I want to do a twist on modern rock band image, stereotyping bands to have attractive and renowned faces everywhere, and instead have an element of the strange and unexpected to my music video.
• I am continuing to use Emma as the main model and focus of the video, using Halloween make up to make her look slightly sick/deranged as opposed to just trying to make her look crazy.
• The shoot is going to take place around 4pm, so the lighting will be reasonably dim but not too dark to shoot creating the atmosphere of eerieness I am hoping for.
• For the band performance, I may use the school stage as i feel it will be difficult to get the band together out of school in one place with the instruments needed also.

More planning

Evidence of planning.

The words that have blurred say:
"Pictures depicting a diversa variety of album covers and advertisements through the last few years: sexual explicitness, vibrancy, major eye catching image, where track is available, airbrushed, logo/icon, bold block colours, artists plus track/album name prominent on background image, photo of artist/model associated with the artist in some way (i.e Guns And Roses cover)"

Planning

The advertisment for the new single has been planned over the course of a few lessons, both on paper and on Word/Publisher. I have progressively added to plans, eventually making the final piece on Publisher. The colours have kept changing, going from red and black, to brighter whites and finally decided on purples and bolder block colours. The same has happened with the font, I have kept changing between decorative fonts to block lettering, settling on more block letters than calligraphy types. The photo idea has remained roughly the same, based on a mental patient, consistently using the same model as I propose to use in the video itself. Whilst planning the first ancillary task, I have also been planning the second, as well as loosely preparing for my main task. The second task is underway, with photos being taken at the same time as for the first task, whilst I have been making templates for the four panels of the second ancillary task on Paint in lessons.

Music video - Basic Codes and Conventions based on Goodwin's theory

1. Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics.


2. There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals.


3. There is a relationship between music and visuals.


4. The demands of the record label will include the need for lots of close-ups of the artist and the artist may develop motifs which recur across their work.


5. There is frequently reference to the notion of looking and particularly voyeurisitc treatment of the female body.


6. There is often intertextual reference.


Each of these conventions can be successfully applied to every music video created, and whilst some can be adapted so that not all videos are exactly the same the majority will try to follow them as closely as possible. As a result I shall try to follow these in my video also.

Music Video History

1927 - The first ever sound film developed.

1964 - January 1st, and the first ever "Top of the Pops" was broadcast, however they did not start showing music videos until the 1970's.

Late 1960's - The Beatles were the first to create types of music videos. They were called TV promos and were basically the band singing their songs in different settings.

1975 - The first official music video release - Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody





1979 - MTV launches - First video played The Buggles Video Killed The Radio Star





1984 - Many iconic videos created by this time, which lead to the creation of the first music video award show by MTV.

Background research - Mindless Self Indulgence + "Shut Me Up"

Mindless Self Indulgence

• Often referred to as "MSI", Mindless Self Indulgence are an American band that formed in New York in 1997.


• They do not have a specific genre, but are a mix of styles such as alternative rock, pop punk, techno and electronic.


• The band consists of frontman singer Jimmy Urine, guitarist Steve, Righ?, bassist Vanessa Y.T (who however was later replaced by LynZ), and drummer Kitty.


• They have released 4 albums, 2 EPs, 1 live album and 1 live DVD.


• In 2009, the band headlined the Kerrang! Relentless Tour and played alongside other similar bands Bring Me The Horizon, Black Tide and In Case of Fire.

Shut Me Up

• Shut Me Up was released on September 12th 2006 and is the first track on their third studio album "You'll Rebel To Anything".


• The single reached number 7 in the American Billboard Hot Singles Sales Chart, and reached number 1 on the Hot Dance Singles Sales Chart.


• A review on www.theendrecords.com from a then stranger to the band who had just seen them live for the first time entitled her review as "Mindless Self Indulgence - The best live band I've ever seen". She later continued to say: "Opening with what I'm told is one of their most famous hits, Shut Me Up, I am instantly mesmerised. I mean, I've seen good bands before, and I've seen bands who put on a good show... but this is a massive cut above the rest".

The video itself

• The original video by the band focuses on a store clerk (Joshua Burian-Mohr) who goes insane, has seizures, kicks out and screams at people, before eventually exploding. According to "Dr Alfred Carroll" this is after going to a live performance by the band days before, based upon how crazy they were when playing.


• The video was directed by Jhonen Vasquez, creator of TV show Invader Zim.

My video

• I intend to split the video into 2 distinct sections, one focusing on the band playing and another focusing on a model going insane as portrayed in the original video.


• I hope to give the image of insanity as with MSI's display first off, and to add to this idea I am trying to get masks for the band. This will put emphasism on a crazy theme, highlighting the insanity the band themselves eminate throughout most of their music and performances.


• The original video included scenes that some people may not have approved of, however the majority of the audience that listen to the band will have understood the angle from which MSI try to come from in their music therefore I shall try to replicate such actions as they will conform to what the band seem to be about (such as certain vulgar imagery, offensive language and effects in the video).


• Although the band may not have a specific genre, their audience is fairly specified to the older teens and younger adults, therefore after researching various videos and tracks by them by audience will comply to this and be for roughly 15-25 year olds. They will be targetted by using a model around that age gap, and having actions in the video that will not so much shock as maintain interest.

Research

Over the course of the last few lessons, I have been studying various rock and indy music magazines to gather more knowledge for my first ancillary task of producing an advertisement for the new single. I have looked at various magazines including Kerrang!, Q, NME and RockSound. The most beneficial of these proved to be Kerrang!, as it varied the music genre genre with rock, metal, pop/rock and others. I used many examples, comparing each of them judging which layout would be the best and most likely to catch a reader's attention. Having an eye-catching image in the centre of the advert proved most effective, as I was often drawn to it when reading through the magazine. Also, a bold title, or bright logo for the band grabbed me, making me want to know who the advert was for (i.e the band/what track)