Quotes

In shots 53, 54 and 55 I will be using some quotes to finish my music video. Hopefully these quotes will come off as inspirational. To find these quotes I have searched the internet. 

In shot 53 I will use the quote 'Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it.' I found this quote of a site searched for by Google. 

This quote would connote that all people have beauty but it takes someone special to realise the beauty a person beholds. This fits in with the theme of being able to love yourself for the natural you.

The second quote I have chosen is more personal. This quote was always said to me by my Mum who believes that everyone is equal regardless of social class, or ethnicity. 

'You're not better then anyone else, and no one is better then you'.

I like this quote as it represents not judging people for the person that they are. And that everyone is equal regardless of looks etc. 

The next quote was a quote made by the artist Demi Lovato who posted a picture on her twitter with this quote written on her hands. It has inspired many young girls to believe that they are truly beautiful no matter what anyone says. 

This quote reflects that the pressure to be perfect is far less important then the love of the people around you. I have used this quote at the end of my music video as it reflects the artists values and beliefs and relates to the song and who wrote and sang it. 

Shooting script

Shot 1: Black screen played to the sound of wind. Three seconds which then fades up to shot 2.

Shot 2: Close up of hands playing the beat of the piano. 5 seconds. Dissolves into shot 3.

Shot 3: Long shot of artist at piano with a spotlight positioned above her. 3 seconds. Cuts to shot 4.

Shot 4: Medium shot of performer looking into mirror (hating the way she looks). Three seconds. Cuts to shot 5.

Shot 5: Close up of diary entry. Horrible words 'jumping out the page'. Three seconds. Cuts to shot 6.

Shot 6: Medium shot of girl crying on the floor. 2 seconds. Cuts to 7.

Shot 7: Medium close up of artist at piano then starts to sing. Camera position on top of the piano. 4 seconds. Dissolve to shot 8. Singing: "Skies are crying, I am watching"

Shot 8: Medium long shot of girl and bullies. Girl in focus bullies out of focus. Girl singing the lines "Catching tear drops in my hands, Only silence as it's ending, like we never had a chance..." Cuts to shot 9.

Shot 9: Establishing shot, girl walking into 'tunnel' facing away from the camera. 5 seconds. With the lyrics "Do you have to make me feel like, there's nothing...' fades out to shot 10.

Shot 10: Black screen. Three seconds. Fades up to shot 11. With lyrics "Left of me"

Shot 11: Medium shot of performer. Camera positioned on piano. Nine seconds. Singing "You can take everything I have, you can break everything I am." Cuts to shot 12.

Shot 12: Long shot of girl walking towards tree with note on. Three seconds. Dissolves to shot 13. "Like I'm made of glass" [0.57 secs to 1.02 minute]

Shot 13: Medium close up over the shoulder shot. Girl out of focus, note in focus. Four seconds. [1.02 minutes to 1.06]  Cut to shot 14. With lyrics "Like I'm made of paper"

Shot 14: Long shot of artist with piano in the background. Nine seconds. [1.07 to 1.16] Cut to shot 15.  Singing "Go on and try to tear me down, I will be rising from the ground..."

Shot 15: Black screen with horrible words written that flash then fade away. 1 second for each word. 3 seconds. Fade out to shot 16. [1.17 to 1.20]  With lyrics "Like a skyscraper"

Shot 16: Fade into black screen with horrible words written that flash then fade away. One second for 'stupid' and 'Dumb' then two seconds for worthless. [1.21 to 1.25] cut to shot 17. With lyrics "Like a skyscraper"

Shot 17: Long shot of girl walking towards camera, ends in a medium close up, girl singing. Nine seconds. [1.26 to 1.35] Cut to shot 18. Singing: "As the smoke clears, I awaken. And untangle you from me." 

Shot 18: Medium shot of girl stood by a sink with sharp object held to her wrist crying. Two maybe three seconds. [1.36-1.39] Cut to shot 19. With lyrics "Would it make you"

Shot 19: Close up of sink with sharp object in the sink with blood around it. Two seconds. [1.40 to 1.42]  cut to shot 20. With lyrics "To watch me"

Shot 20: Long shot of girl crying on the bathroom floor. No blood visible. Three seconds. [1.42 to 1.44]  Cut to shot 21. With lyrics "While I bleed"

Shot 21:Close up of diary entry with horrible words 'jumping out the page'. Three seconds. [1.45 to 1.49] Cut to shot 22. With lyrics "All my windows still are broken"

Shot 22: Long shot of artist looking strong in the studio location. Piano in background singing to the camera like singing to a crowd. Four seconds [1.49 to 1.53] Cuts to shot 23. Singing "But I'm standing on my feet"

Shot 23: Medium close up of artists singing at piano. Camera positioned on top of the piano. Nine seconds. [1.53 to 2.02] Dissolves to shot 24. Singing "You can take everything I have, you can break everything I am..." 

Shot 24: Long shot of girl walking towards tree holding the last note. Four seconds. Cuts to shot 25. With lyrics "Like I'm made of glass"

Shot 25: Medium close up, over the shoulder shot. Girl out of focus, note in focus. Three seconds. Cuts to shot 26. [2.07 to 2.10] With lyrics "Like I'm made of paper"

Shot 26: Long shot of artists with piano in background. Artist singing. Ten seconds. Fades into shot 27. [2.11 to 2.20] Singing "Go on and try to tear me down, I will be rising from the ground"

Shot 27: Black screen with horrible words written that flash then fade away. 3 seconds. [1.21 to 1.24] 1 second for each word. Fade into shot 28. With lyrics "Like a skyscraper"

Shot 28: Fade into black screen with horrible words written that flash then fade away. Five seconds.  1 second for each 'Stupid' and 'Dumb' then three seconds for 'Worthless'. [ 2.25 to 2.30] Fades out to shot 29. With lyrics "Like a skyscraper"

Shot 29: Long shot of girl running and bullies running behind her. Two seconds [2.31 to 2.33]. Fades into shot 30. "Go run run..." 

Shot 30: Long shot, two shot of girl and bullies, girl standing strong. Two seconds. [2.34 to 2.36] Fade into shot 31. With lyrics "I'm gonna stay right here"

Shot 31: Long shot of girl stood on own. Bullies 'disappeared'. Three seconds [2.37 to 39] With lyrics "Watch you disappear" Cut to shot 32.

Shot 32: Close up of girl looking triumphant with a proud smile. 1 maybe 2 seconds. [2.39 to 2.41] Cut to shot 33. With lyrics "Yes woho". 

Shot 33: Girl running happily in long shot with pieces of paper in her hand. Three seconds. [2.41 to 2.43] With lyrics "Go run run run!" Dissolves into shot 24.

Shot 34: Low angle long shot. Pieces of paper in hand. Stood on a high platform in natural location. Ten seconds. [2.44 to 2.53] Singing "Yeah, it's along way down. But I am closer to the clouds up here" Dissolves in shot 35.

Shot 35: Long shot of girl, fire barrel, lighter and piece of paper. Four seconds. [2.54 to 2.57]. With lyrics "You can take everything I have..." Cuts to shot 36.

Shot 36: Mid shot of girl, lighter and piece of paper saying 'UGLY'. Two seconds. [2.58 to 3.00] With lyrics "You can break every..."  Cuts to shot 37.

Shot 37: Medium shot of girl burning the 'UGLY' note at arms length. Girl smiling as she does it. Two seconds. [3.00 to 3.02]. With lyrics "Thing I am..." Cuts to shot 38.

Shot 38: Mid shot of girl, lighter and piece of paper saying 'FAT'. Two seconds. [3.02 to 3.04]  With lyrics "Like I'm made of glass". Cuts to shot 39.

Shot 39: Medium shot of the girl burning the 'FAT' note at arms length. Girl smiling as she does it. Two seconds. [3.04- 3.06] Backing track NO lyrics. Cuts to shot 40.

Shot 40: Long shot of girl, fire barrel and diary. Four seconds. [3.06 to 3.10] With lyrics "Like I'm made of paper..." Cuts to shot 41.

Shot 41: Black screen flashes the word 'Beautiful'. One second. [3.10 to 3.11] Backing track no lyrics. Cuts to shot 42. 

Shot 42: Medium close up of artist at piano singing. Camera positioned on top of piano. Four seconds. [3.12 to 3.16] Singing "Go on and try to tear me down"
Shot 43: Mid shot of artist standing up singing. Camera tilts up as the artist stands. Four seconds. [3.16 to 3.20] Singing "I will be rising from the ground..." Dissolves into shot 44.

Shot 44: Long shot of the diary been thrown into the fire barrel. Four seconds. [3.21 to 3.25] With lyrics "LIKE A SKYSCRAPER!". Cut or dissolves to shot 45.

Shot 45: Medium shot of barrel out of focus and performer walking happily towards and past the camera. Six seconds. [3.25 to 3.31] With lyrics "LIKE A SKYSCRAPER!" Dissolves into shot 46.

Shot 46: Long shot low angle of girl singing. Two seconds. Backing track NO lyrics. [3.32- 3.34] Dissolves in shot 47.

Shot 47: Long shot of artist singing in studio location. Singing like she's singing to a crowd. Piano in background. Singing "Like a skyscraper". Dissolves in shot 48.

Shot 48: Medium close up. Natural location. Singing "Like a skyscraper". Five seconds. [3.39 to 3.43]. Cut to shot 49. 

Shot 49: Long shot of girl skipping happily away from camera. Natural location. Two seconds. [3.43 to 3.45]. Dissolves into shot 50. 

Shot 50: Medium close up of artist playing the piano. Five seconds. Piano back music. [3.45 to 3.50] 
Shot 51: Long shot of artist out of focus walking away. Just top of piano in focus. Two seconds. [3.50 to 3.52].

Shot 52: Lights go out in studio. Goes to black screen.  Three seconds. [3.52 to 3.55] Dissolves into shot 53. 

Shot 53: Artist from natural location holding up a piece of paper with the quote 'Everyone has beauty, but not everyone sees it' in mid shot. Three seconds. [3.55 to 3.58]. Fades into shot 54.

Shot 54: Performer from the bullying scenes holding up piece of paper with the quote 'You're not better then anyone else, and no one is better then you.' in mid shot. Three seconds. [3.58 to 4.01]. Fades into shot 55. 

Shot 55: Artist from studio location holding up piece of paper with the quote 'Love is louder than... the pressure to be perfect- Demi Lovato'. Four seconds. [4.02 to 4.05]. Fades out to black. 

Makeup, hair and costume

For my project I have been thinking about the look I would like my artist/performer to have. I am really liking the idea of having a simple natural look for my performer as I don't want to over do my performer with makeup as the song is mainly about been comfortable in your own skin. 

The person I have chosen for my performance has short to medium hair and my initial idea was to have my performer with her hair down and slightly wavy, however I am unable to do this so I have decided to use a pinned up hairstyle. 

This first image of Taylor Swift shows the kind of makeup ideas I have as well as the hair style I would like to use for my performer. I like the simplicity of the makeup which makes her face look fresh rather then over done with makeup. I like the way her hair shapes her face and I like that it's curled rather then straight because I like how the hair falls beside her face.

This second image of Selena Gomez shows the next idea I have to make the eyes stand out almost as if to give the hidden message that 'Beauty is in the eye of the beholder'. Her hair in this image isn't the style I would like to use as I wanted my performers hair to be pinned up rather then a side ponytail.

In this third image of Selena Gomez I like her hair in this picture as it is a pinned up hairstyle and I like the fallen piece of hair at the front.  I also like her makeup, however I would am not planning on using a bright colored lipstick on my performer. 

This image of Demi Lovato is my favorite of all that I found on the internet search engine  I like this image as he makeup is more natural then the other images, especially her lip color which is kept nude. Her hairstyle isn't to made up either but a more relax look which I like as it shows that the performer hasn't made effort to look beautiful but is natural that way which enforces the meaning of the video of natural beauty. 


Costume 

This is the first costume look I hope to achieve. I like this look as the blazer suggest authority and importance. However in this image the model is wearing printed leggings but I hope to either have tailored trousers for my performer or plain black leggings. This look will be used to show the performance side of my music video as the artist is performing. 

















The costume I am hoping to use will be a dark skirt, white vest top and a dark blazer. I am using dark colors as I thought that black could deduce different judgments made by the audience.  Both the emotions my performer is feeling. Black connotes depression and feeling down but it also connotes authority and been in control. I wanted this outfit to symbolise her feeling down and lonely and then when the song uplifts I wanted the outfit to symbolise power and been strong willed. 




















The third costume look I hope to achieve is a typical teenage girl. I will use this for the scenes when the girl is been bullied and self-harming. I used this outfit based upon my experience of college, I wanted to the girl to reflect a teenager and this costume seemed to reflect that. 




















I have over the holidays during filming decided to add another outfit. I am using this costume in the bedroom and bathroom scenes. I have used this costume because I wanted the dark clothing to represent her dark mood and how lonely she feels. 

Influences

As apart of my research I have been looking at existing music videos to gain some sense of what I would like to include in my video. The original meaning of the song was 'not to give in to the pressure of been perfect' I wanted to incorporate the original meaning to my project, mainly to keep the originality of the song but to use my own ideas. The kind of videos I watched were ones that reflected self-image but also ones that were almost like a cry for help just to gain an insight into how they used a meaning as strong as the one that 'Skyscraper' reflects in a music video. 

The first video I watched was 'Perfect' by Pink, this video basically reflects the meaning that nobody's perfect and that sometimes people feel they live in a world were nobody understands or excepts them. For this video key elements of mise-en-scene, cinematography and sound to reflect the dark meaning behind the song. For example in 'Perfect' the lighting is very dark and stays that way as the character in the video goes through issues with herself and the way she looks as well as issues of bullying I like this idea as it reflects the mood of the video as well as the character, however the lighting does change as the video takes a more lighter note and things start to look up for the character within the video. 


In this shot I like the use of the long shot to show both rooms, the dark bedroom and then the girl stood on the scales. I like this shot as lighting shows her mood and the long shot shows why the girl is feeling down.

I like this shot from the Pink 'F****in' perfect music video because I like the use of medium close to show the emotions of the girl, I also like the fact that the makeup used brings the focus onto her eyes which attracts the audience attention to her eyes which visibly show pain. I also like how the girls is in focus and the background is out of focus, it could represent how the girls world seems like a blur and he emotions are the only thing that matters in that moment in time, the focus pull on her also attracts the attention of the audience onto her and the way she feels. 




The transitions between shots are mostly cuts but follow a rhythmic pattern and go to the beat of the music therefore making the video flow more and makes the audience engage with the action on screen as well as the beat of the song. 

A lot of medium close ups are used to expression emotions but close ups are use on the performance of the artist to show the emotion that the artist puts into the song. The use of close ups for performance help the audience to engage with the song and artist more during the performance and it also makes the audience want to sing along to the song. 

Another key feature of the video is the use of projection from the shots of the action to the shots of the performance by the artist. The use of projections help the video to flow well between cuts and also makes the video a lot more interesting because the audience have more than one feature to focus on. 






The second video I watched was Selena Gomez 'Who Says' I liked this video as again it reflect the meaning that everybody is perfect in there own way and that there isn't a certain way to be to just be yourself. In this video Selena uses more brighter lighting to give the video the pop genre feel but to keep the topic of self-image something positive. Also in the video I like the way Selena uses split screens to spell out words of signs and billboards, this a fun a creative idea which again gives the video a less serious feel but reflects the meaning well. I also like the way the use a steady cam to make it look as though it's from Selena's point of view and that makes the video feel more personal to the artist and therefore engages the audience more. 

Selena Gomez 'Who Says' hidden messages in split screens of billboard messages.

 At the beginning of the 'Who Says' video we are show the artist in medium close up, this introduces the performer to the audience as she starts to sing the song. Because of the initial close up we are engaged with the performer from the beginning. 

In the video split screens are used to show change in location as well as different angles of the artist. The split screens help the audience establish what's happening in the video, for example in the video the artist gets into a taxi to go from one location to the next, we are shown the taxi in one of the split screens and then the artist performing in the back of the taxi. 

Towards the end of the video we are show a performance of the artist and her band, this adds to the performance based music video in which we see. This shot shows a long angle making it look as though the artist and the band are looking performing to an audience at a gig or concert therefore making the audience feel as though they're a part of the concert/ gig experience and making the artist and band available to the masses without performing at an exclusive gig or concert, most performances in videos are for that reason making a performance from an artist available to all fans in masses. 

 In the video there are a lot of camera movements that keep the audience interested. For example at the beginning of the video there is a shot were the artist is singing for more then 5 or so seconds, because the camera pulls back from a close up to a long shot the audience stay interested with the shot. Another shot used is a pan round of the artist who again is singing but because of the pan round the audience stay interest in the shot. This is something which I hope to use in my video, so that a shot doesn't go on to long without the audience getting bored.

The video is constructed very well, making all parts of performance fell believable in terms of a music video. And again making an artists performance available to all fans rather then use of exclusive to gigs/ concerts.

The next video I have looked at is Rihanna's 'Unfaithful' purely for the piano scenes. I wanted to create this within my music video as I like the idea of showing my performer, playing the piano as this is a sound heard within the 'Skyscraper' track. I liked the idea of mixing a sound that was already there to be used in a performance with my artist. I think this idea really reflects the performance element of my music video. 

I like this close up of a person playing the piano, I like the idea of the audience not been able to see the persons face but seeing them performing. The close up also emphasizes the sound of the piano in the track which is then reflected within the performance. 

The next shot we are shown of the piano is a long shot, I like the idea of pulling out or cutting to show a long shot of the performer because it shows them performing in their entirety. Also by pulling back or cutting the audience's attention is diverted therefore keeping them interested in the performance and therefore the music video. 

The other element I like about this long shot is we are shown a thearte location, complete with chairs and a stage. I liked the idea of using something like this because it reflects the performer as been good at what they do. Also the long shot of the thearte could reflect an establishing shot as this is a change of location and therefore the audience need to see this. 



















The last video I watched was the original video to Demi Lovato 'Skyscraper' and for this video it reflected some of the ideas from the videos above but 'Skyscraper' video was much more simple and yet effective in portraying the message. In this video Demi uses much lighter lighting to give the video a happier feel as this video reflects more of overcoming bullying or prejudice that she and many others can relate to. The lighter lighting makes the video seem more positive. Unlike the other videos 'Skyscraper' is kept in one location and this location I like the best out of all three of the videos, it's a natural location which could be connotative of natural beauty and that beauty shouldn't be spoiled with the pressure to be perfect using cosmetics etc. Also the mise-en-scene of this video is kept to a minimal and therefore doesn't over power the performance of the artist which essentially is the bases for the video. 

I like this opening sequence of an establishing shot. It sets the scene of a natural location and sets the scene for a simplistic video without right colouring and over the top dancing and music. The establishing shot also reflects the mood of the song.

This shot was used to show how the camera again pans round the artist as she's singing. The pan goes from a long angle into a high angle which makes the artist look like an authoritive figure. Because of the camera movement the audience stay interested in the video and this engages the audience more.

 The video overall is simplistic but because of the camera movements and the change of camera angles the audience stay interested. Camera angles such as close ups into medium shots make the audience stay interested.

All these music videos have a lot of camera movements and angles in common. For example in all music video close ups are used to emphasis the lyrics within the song as well as showing emotions from the artist.

Codes and conventions of my chosen genre essay

Codes and conventions of a chosen genre.

For my creative project I have chosen to use the genre of pop. The codes and conventions of a pop music video alter and change just like codes and conventions usually do.

The first convention of a pop music video would be the use of colour. In pop music videos colour is widely used to reflect the upbeat track of the pop song. Bright colouring has proven popular with many dance music videos such as LMFAO ‘Sorry For Party Rocking’ were bright neon colours are used to reflect the upbeat track and the energetic dancing within the video.

Also the costume for LMFAO ‘Sorry For Party Rocking’ is very distinctive and is a signature style for the artists within the group, which is also something that many pop videos have. Costume is also a key feature of a pop music video as it tends to be bright colourful clothing that is somewhat different to that of an R&B video or another genre of video. In pop videos the artists tend to wear clothes that have been made a signature style for them like LMFAO with animal print leggings and also for artists such as Neyo who always wears a hat in performances or videos.

Another convention of the pop genre music video would be the use of dancing as a way to reflect the mood of the song, but also to show the performance of the artist which is why music videos are created to make sure there fan base/ audience get the chance to see them do what they’re famous for and that is to perform and entertain. In pop videos dancing is done with a lot of energy as most pop songs are upbeat and so dancing is used to reflect that. For example in Beyoncé’s ‘Single Ladies’ music video it’s simply her and two backing dancer dancing to her track while she lip syncs to the music, this is an example of a pop music video that is simple yet affective after receiving more than   194,683,598 views on YouTube and a number of awards for ‘Best Video’ and ‘Best Song’. The video may have been a simple concept but many saw it as the making of Beyoncé as a respected artist as it shows what she does best, performing.

The next convention of a pop music video would be the use of fast paced editing to keep the audience interested as well as making the video upbeat and reflective of the pop song which again is also upbeat. Fast paced editing help the audience to stay interested while also catching the eye onto different points in the video such as change of location of costume. Examples of this would be Beyoncé ‘Countdown’ and Rihanna ‘We Found Love’ these videos both use fast paced editing for different reasons, in Beyoncé ‘Countdown’ editing is used for costume change but with the bright costumes and quick editing it keeps the video interesting and in Rihanna ‘We Found Love’ the fast paced editing is used to show change of location, however, both videos use fast paced editing to reflect the upbeat pace within the song.

Another typical convention of a pop music video would be that narrative structures are used but because of the use of montage editing a narrative is made to look like a music video rather than a film. And although the narrative doesn’t have a clear beginning, middle and end we can establish what the disruption is and the equilibrium. Narrative structures to music videos are rare and are hardly ever done but an example of a music video like this would be Justin Bieber ‘As Long As You Love Me’ were we see a love story with an equilibrium and a disruption and although this music video is done in narrative we still have shots of the individual artist performing directly to the audience through the music video.

Location

For my music video I have been looking at possible locations and through ideas I have gathered that I will need three separate locations. From my audience feedback of the existing music video to 'Skyscraper' it was obvious that my target audience preferred a natural location rather than something that was put into using a green screen. I considered all my audience feedback and incorporated them into my ideas. 

The first location I have chosen is a natural location, I chose this to reflect the calm mood of the song as well as from audience feedback.

I like the natural location in this picture. I also like how the trees darken the pathway and then come out into the natural light. I think this location will reflect my video as the meaning of my video is that 'there is always light at the end of the tunnel' and therefore this location reflects the meaning very well.













In this picture I like the bridge that's surrounded by the trees (natural location), I like the idea of a bridge in my video as it reflects the meaning of leaving something at the other side of the bridge and leaving bad times behind, also I like the the way the bridge bends round a corner. 

In these pictures I like the lake as again if reflects the natural location. And for my project I wanted my music video to represent the washing away of bad memories and hope to use the lake to physically represent that. Also were the lake is the trees surround it making it feel secluded and secretive like the character in the video is escaping to another world.