Mise-en-scene in Our Video

Our costume hair, make-up and props verse by verse:

“Pour up (drank), head shot (drank), sit down (drank), stand up (drank), pass out (drank), wake up (drank), faded (drank), faded (drank)” - repeated bridge

There will be one male character in a dark room for this part of the video, the costume will be all white. The outfit will consist of black jeans, a white shirt and trainers all in the same colour. The make up for the boy will be very natural and may only consist of some concealer or foundation in order to even out the skin and remove any shine. Hair will be left natural as it is a boy there is not much we can do here. Props that will be used in this scene will be a bottle of alcohol, a glass and a clock on a bedside table.

Verse 1:

Character 1 – small child will be dressed in young clothes, possibly school uniform, and holding a teddy bear

Character 2 – the main boy will be dressed as he was in the previous scene, keeping it consistent but then in the party scene he will be dressed in black with a white shirt once again so that he stands out. His hair will be styled instead of natural to show he has got ready for this party.

Extras (party people) – girls will be in dresses and will have dramatic make up such as smoky eyes and red lips in order to show they have made an effort for the party, boys will be dressed smartly but natural make up for boys.

Props – props in this verse will change frequently as there are many different scenes. We will use a teddy bear for the child to suggest the innocence then at the party we are going for a red theme as we are using a red gel over the camera lens and also use red cups and red fairy lights.

Chorus:

Character 1 - main boy walking into the party with his friends in what he was wearing previously.

Character 2 - the main girl appears in a bath she will have a bare face no make-up but will be wearing a white dress as white highlights innocence and purity.

Character 3+4 - two girls in Baywatch outfits he is visioning as the main girl as though everyone is her, they will have a lot of make-up such as foundation, blusher, bronzer and eye shadow wearing a red leotard (famous from Baywatch) and hair long and down as they run, as if blowing in the wind.

Bridge repeats

Verse 2:

Character 1 - Close up of the main boy so he needs to have even skin which could require minimal make-up such as foundation and concealer, but very natural so that you cannot see it.

Props - This scene focuses more on the mind of the male and is a very dark scene, his conscience talking to him warning him props used will be a doorway using a dark room and just light coming through then the use of a phone as he gets messages through, this is a very minimalistic scene as everything is very zoomed in and closed off and close up. There will be a bottle of alcohol as his use of alcohol needs to be clear throughout.

Repeat of Chorus

Bridge Repeats

Drawings of Storyboard

These drawings will help illustrate our key ideas and our clear timeline for when each scene will be placed. This sequence will ensure the planning is precise and consistent in order to create our video quickly and easily as we will have planned each sequence clearly. 

This story board illustrates the first set of scenes; the first 5 drawings are the scenes that will be repeated when the bridge repeats in the song. The other sequences will only feature in the video once as they relate to the lyrics that only occur once. We decided to have some shots repeat as it shows how it is a vicious cycle for him in his depressed alcohol state. We will change some of the shots in terms of the model that will be focused on however they will be similar messages and the footage will all relate.

These scenes will only feature once in the song as they are for the verse. These shots are to highlight his state of mind as he is in a room full of people yet doesn’t appear to be happy or joining in. By using him walking alone it highlights his isolation which is reinforced by his behaviour at the party. We chose to have the boy in the bath then cut to the girl in the bath to highlight the fact she is always on his mind and that she is possible the reason for his depression and alcohol abuse. This is created as whenever he is shown to be depressed we show a clip of the girl which then flips back to the clip of the alcohol and the boy. This shows how the girl is the cause for his drinking and his depression as her clips are followed by these shots. 

The bridge is what we are repeating which is drawn above. We will then have shots of burning photos to show his anger towards the past and his resentment towards how he feels because of this girl. We will then have them in the bath but focus in on their hands as they grip the side of the bath as if scared. This will be followed by a shot of the girl to show how he is gripping the bath due to thinking about her. She then grips the bath to hint to fear to question why she is no longer around as she is clearly scared about something. This something could be the reason for her never featuring in the video apart from in the boys memories. 

The last scenes will be from the bridge this is when the scenes are repeated as they are highlighting his addiction, the reason for his addiction, the way it is affecting him and the hint towards the repetition as the clock is shown throughout at different times. The video will end on a recording of the main girl fading out, this will hint towards her being dead or no longer in contact with the boy. The fact it ends on her highlights how it will never end in his mind as she is the reason for his drinking and she is the shot the video ends on.

Story Board

Script

Script 1

Once we decided the song we wanted to do our video to, we printed off the lyrics to the song. As a group, we came up with idea for the video and what we could use to relate our video to the lyrics. By doing this, we were able to come up with a story for our video and the message.

Script 2

After we came up with a brief idea of what to include in our video, we went into a lot more detail and came up with scenes that we could do for each line. By doing this we could then begin to make a story board and work out who and what we need to use in our video.

Final Idea

After many meetings and long discussions with the group, we decided that our original idea would not work as well as we thought it would. We also could not find enough research to back up our ideas and reasons for doing certain things in our video. We felt that it was too difficult to explain our ideas and so we had to come up with a new idea that we could explain clearly. We decided we wanted to re-create it with a story to explain it.

We first changed our song to Swimming Pools by Kendrick Lamar. After deciding that our original video idea wouldn't work, we decided that we needed to have a message behind our video. We decided that the message would be alcoholism as it relates largely to the song we have chosen.

We looked at the lyrics of the song to some up with a story behind our video and so we linked it largely to the lyrics. By doing this we haven’t copied anything from the video as it doesn't relate to the lyrics as much as our video does.

The story of our video is that the main boy in our video has drinking problems to hide away his pain. Some people are worried about him and others are being bad influences. We show the difference in his behavior by having some parts of him in a room on his own and the mise-en-scene and the model shows his feelings. Other parts of the video will show him at the party enjoying himself. We also have a main girl who is his enigma. We never explain why our main boy has this enigma. We leave it to the audience to find out for themselves which leaves the audience feeling curious.

The message of our video will be portrayed through a teenage boy that from the start has a lot of issues within his life. We show this through his extensive use of alcohol and partying, however, the reason behind his drinking is never clear as we wanted to intrigue the audience. We create an enigma in the form of a female model which will be in many of the scenes but in a way that is faded and confusing. This makes it clear that the girl is on the boys mind which raises the issue of her being the reason for his alcohol problems. In our video we will be making him appear secluded as he will alone in the party scenes and his conscience will be talking to him when he is alone in an empty room. At the end of the video he will be alone walking along an empty street as the audience need to be aware of how alone he is feeling. This highlights the different stages of dependency to the audience as he ignores a text from his mum worrying about him to go to a party instead. The reason behind his alcoholism will always be left a mystery despite the video hinting that it has something to do with the female model. The video will shoot back and forth from the male model to the female which will make it quite erratic to show how he is feeling inside. 

Brief

For our A2 task we have been given the task of either choosing to create a music video, a new film trailer, the first level of a new computer game or a promotion package for a new computer/video game. We decided to focus on creating a music video and these are the requirements for this:

A promotion package for the release of an album, to include a music promo video, together with two of the following three options:

·         A website homepage for the band;

·         A cover for its release as part of the digipak (CD/DVD package);

·         A magazine advertisement for the digipak (CD/DVD package).

NOTE: All material for all tasks are to be produced by you yourself with the exception of acknowledged non-original sound or image material used in a limited way in video / radio work.

Formats: Video work must be in DVD format and must be playable on standard domestic DVD players for moderation purposes. Audio work must be in CD format. Print work should be presented as a jpeg or pdf. Games should be either in Flash format or playable on an existing console.

REMEMBER:

Maintain a consistent house style throughout all 3 platforms i.e. same colour schemes, page layouts, mode of address etc.

Maintain a tangible link between all 3 media products e.g. use still frames from a video sequence within a poster or DVD cover and or embed clips of video within a webpage.

Create a logo that will brand the product across all 3 platforms.

Incorporate the expectations of your audience into your product

Original Idea

Our original idea was to do a music video to Work Out by J. Cole as we wanted our video to be to a party song. In the original Work Out video, the story was not based on a party and was mainly located in a basketball court. This shows that we did not want to completely copy the music video and make it our own. We just wanted to create a fun music video based on a party that did not have a lot of meaning. We thought this song would be perfect as it was a fun upbeat song without strong meaningful lyrics.

We decided to use some of the lyrics in the song to create random, fun clips. For example, the song mentions a dice, and so we decided to make a clip that involved someone throwing a large dice. We also decided to create a small story in the video by having it start with ‘the morning after the night before’ with the parents of the main character looking at a clip of the party they had thrown placed on the internet. We then created a story board to help explain or music video in more detail and involved camera shots.

Story Board

Camera shots are used to demonstrate different aspects of setting, themes and characters.

Camera angles are used to position the viewer so that they can understand the relationships between the characters.

1)

The camera shots starts with the parents watching a youtube clip on their laptop, the camera then zooms in on the party and the party then comes up on the main screen.

Plot is child is in trouble it’s the morning after the party that took place in the house while they were out.

Camera angle we will use: A Mid shot as the parents watch the video clip and then becomes an eye-level angle. This puts the audience on an equal footing with the characters. we see what they see as we are in the same position as them.

2)

The party scene is now full screen; it will be edited to look like it is being rewound. The shot is of people arriving to the party they are walking into the house.

Plot – the camera shots are showing a journey as the party is shown to be rewound to show how the parents are viewing it but the shot is rewinding to give the audience an insight into what the parents are viewing. 

Camera movement we will use: An Evangelion shot.  This camera movement begins as an extreme close-up and zooms out abruptly, creating a blurring effect to emphasise the speed and size of the object. We will use this in an opposite way as the shot will zoom into the music video to make it full screen.

3)

The camera shot now shows the outside of the house where you can see people partying through the windows.

Camera shot we will use: A long shot. It contains landscape but gives the viewer a more specific idea of setting. A long shot will show the viewers the building where the action will take place.




4)

The main man is then shown walking into the party, the boys surrounding him show his popularity and importance.

Camera shot we will use: A full shot. It contains a complete view of the characters. From this shot, viewers can take in the costumes of characters and may also help to demonstrate the relationships between characters.

5)

The lyrics in the song then say ‘roll the dice’ we will have large inflatable dice thrown up into the air by the people at the party.

6)

The shot will then change to show girls dancing, this will link to the music and is generic to a party scene. The main girl will be wearing white to stand out, the camera shot will indicate her importance within the music video.

Camera shot we will use: A full shot. It contains a complete view of the characters. From this shot, viewers can take in the costumes of characters and may also help to demonstrate the relationships between characters.




7)

The main boy and main girl will then hug as she walks away he looks back at her this will highlight that something could go on between them. The editing will then focus on her and blur the others around her to show how he is only interested in her. This will show a point of view shot as the audience will see what he sees.

Camera shot we will use: A mid shot contains the characters or a character from the waist up. From this shot, viewers can see the characters' faces more clearly as well as their interaction with other characters. This is also known as a social shot.

8)

The party scene will show again there will be red cups used in order to stand out. The atmosphere will be shown in this shot to link to the beat of the music.

Camera angle we will use: A tracking shot and a dolly shot.  A tracking shot moves on tracks and a dolly shot is mounted on a trolley to achieve the effect in the example above. This camera movement is used in a number of ways but is most commonly used to explore a room such as a restaurant. By using a tracking shot or a dolly shot the composer of a film gives the viewer a detailed tour of a situation. It can also be used to follow a character.

9)

There will be another boy that will bite into a ‘money sandwich’ this adds a fun vibe to the party which highlights the random shots that will be shown by the fast editing of the scene.

Camera shot we will use: A close-up It contains just one character's face. This enables viewers to understand the actor's emotions and also allows them to feel empathy for the character. This is also known as a personal shot. It will also draw attention to what he is doing as it makes him the main focus.

10)

The main boy will then be shown alone with a spotlight miming along to the lyrics, this shows a range of shots that vary from the party atmosphere, it also highlights his importance within the video.

Camera shot we will use: A close-up.  It contains just one character's face. This enables viewers to understand the actor's emotions and also allows them to feel empathy for the character. This is also known as a personal shot as it establishes their importance.




11)

We will then use a smoke machine while a girl is dancing, this gives an effect to the dancing which makes it more interesting and can be captured on camera effectively.

12)

The shot then flips back to the boy miming to the lyrics in the same position against the wall.

Camera shot we will use: A close-up.  It contains just one character's face. This enables viewers to understand the actor's emotions and also allows them to feel empathy for the character. This is also known as a personal shot as it establishes their importance.

13)

The main boy and girl then meet the camera shot is on the same level as them to make the audience part of the action.

14) 

A girl is then shown in a bath; this shot is a regular thing in music videos. We will use it to show the party becoming quite wild. She will be in her clothes with a full face of make-up to indicate how out of place the scene is in a bath.

15)

The shot then flips back to the boy miming to the song.

Camera shot we will use: A close-up.  It contains just one character's face. This enables viewers to understand the actor's emotions and also allows them to feel empathy for the character. This is also known as a personal shot as it establishes their importance.

16)

The main girl and her close friends will then dance to the music this will show her importance within the video while fitting in with the tone of the video and the music.

17)

We will then show a shot of a spoon with the words ‘BAD BITCH’ written out using alphabet spaghetti, it will be hovering above a bowl of the spaghetti and will come after the girls are dancing to show it is sending a message.

Camera shot we will use: An extreme close-up. It contains one part of a character's face or other object. This type of shot creates an intense mood and provides interaction between the audience and the viewer. It will therefore make it stand out within the video as what it spells out will be clear.

18) 

The shot will then go back to party and show people raising their red cups and dancing to the music, this won’t be planned footage as we will see what the people choose to do in the party to make it more realistic, we won’t restrict them as the song we chose will be playing therefore their actions will fit with the beat and tone.

19) 

The shot will then go back to the boy singing in the spotlight against a wall he will be wearing a fur coat and chains, he will mime along to the music. This will make the video more realistic as this is a common feature in music videos to show who the artist and main person in the video is.

Camera shot we will use: A close-up.  It contains just one character's face. This enables viewers to understand the actor's emotions and also allows them to feel empathy for the character. This is also known as a personal shot as it establishes their importance.

20)

The shot will then reverse back to the party, this will constantly set the scene in order to show what genre the music video is. The constant party action will show the ellipses of time as we are cutting back and forth from different scenes.

The camera angle we will use: Panning is used to give the viewer a panoramic view of a set or setting. This can be used to establish a scene.

21)

The shot will then be at a high level to look down on the boy climbing the stairs with the girl, he will then walk past the camera and it will follow their direction and show them going upstairs together.

22)

The next shot will be of the people in the party pouring drinks into their cups to give the feel of a real party, we will also add a low angle shot where the camera moves through peoples feet, we will see red cups on the floor and heels. This will give an array of shots and editing in order to create a mix of scenes that vary.

Camera shot we will use: A mid shot. It contains the characters or a character from the waist up. From this shot, viewers can see the characters' faces more clearly as well as their interaction with other characters. This is also known as a social shot.
This scene will then use a close-up to make the cups and drink the main feature.

23)

The scene then switches back to the present time to show the parents walking up stairs in order to check on their daughter. They open the door we have the camera showing their faces at this point. We then change the shot to see what they are seeing. 

24)

The last shot will be of the boy and girl in bed, he will be wearing just a leather jacket and jeans and she will be wearing just his top, they will wake up and sit up in the bed looking at the parents. The video will then end. We will have writing edited on the screen to link to the video.