1. STORY BOARD
‘Youth’

2. SHOT 1
Shot one is a low angle, establishing shot of trees. Preferably with sunlight shining through
the branches to give the shot a romantic theme, foreshadowing the later events. The
opening shot is set in a woodland; conventional of the genre that promotes nature and real
life. This shot lasts four seconds.

3. SHOT 2
Shot two is the same as shot one but with flash of the non-diegetic material ‘YOUTH’ in
white letters. Including the fade in and out, this shot lasts five seconds. I have chosen for
‘YOUTH’ to be in white as it connotes innocence. This is ironic and contrasts the
connotations of youth and what is seen as the most rebellious time of life. It relates well to
the love story narrative as it can be seen as this love is taking away their innocence in all
sense of the word.

4. SHOT 3
Shot three is still set in the woods with a slow tilt down the trees lasting 5 seconds. The lighting
gets slowly darker as the shot gets further to the ground. This foreshadows the narrative with
progressively gets darker in mood and it can also represent the love story within the narrative;
that as you get further down to earth you realise it is not all bright and easy.

5. SHOT 4
Shot four is a 270º pan to the left. The slow pan resembles the slow pace of the song and is
conventional of the genre. Movement is used a lot in the indie folk genre as it shows a
progressive journey which most indie folk songs are about. The pan stopping at an extreme
long shot of lily coincides with the lyrics ‘shadows settle on the place that you left’ showing
that this lost love has left the girl on her own.

6. SHOT 5
Shot five is a straight cut to a long shot of Lily, she is wearing a white floaty dress with natural
hair and make up. The white connotes innocence and makes the audience view Lily as a good
person and a protagonist. The natural hair and make up enforce natural beauty that is seen in
many indie folk videos, this reflects the artist’s idea of their genre being very authentic and real.
This is what appeals to their audience who appreciate talent over technology and edited sound.

7. SHOT 6
Shot six follows the pattern of decreasing in shot size whilst following the beat of the song.
This makes the viewer feel closer to the character as she is becoming clearer however the use
of straight cuts instead of simply zooming add an edgier feel and can display the mood and
tone of the song.

8. SHOT 7
Shot seven is a close up of the character, this is very common of the form as a music video
is made for promotional purposes. The close up, in this case is to sell the artist, and to make
the audience feel a link between themselves and the character. In some indie videos, close
up shots of the artist are not apparent, this is due to the video promoting the song instead
of the artist, however I have chosen to include a close up as I believe that it is a good sales
technique and is appropriate for explaining my narrative.

9. SHOT 8
Shot eight is an extreme close up of the characters eye. Extreme close ups are used very
frequently in indie folk videos and are good for expressing emotion and making sure the
audience receive the intended message. They are also used in indie folk videos to often
suggest something is missing and for this reason it helps my narrative. Making my character
cry will inform the audience of the tone and mood of the video and song and will hopefully
make my character more relatable, whilst reinforcing the idea that this character is the
protagonist in the video.

10. SHOT 9
Shot ten is a mid shot of the character, this is the first shot of movement from the
character as she turns her head to the right, this lack of movement and the slow pace when
it does occur, reflects the slow, sluggish pace of the song.

11. SHOT 10
Shot ten includes the first camera movement which is a pan track to the left. Pans are often
used in indie folk to symbolise a journey which is often reflected in the lyrics. A male
character appears in this shot and we can see that the characters have or have had a
relationship. This is common in all genres as ‘love’ is the muse for most musicians as it is
relatable to every audience.

12. SHOT 11
Shot eleven jumps to a long shot where it reveals that the couple are holding
hands, reinforcing the idea that they have a relationship and that ‘love’ is the theme of this
music video and song. In this shot you can see that the male is wearing dark clothes which
portrays him as the bad person, the antagonist and the audience realise that it is him that
has made the protagonist (Lily) upset, further creating understanding and a relationship
between Lily and the audience. This is shown through the theory of Binary Opposites by
Levi Strauss, claiming that we understand the narrative and the character role through the
use of binary opposites and stereotypes by using locations, costumes, lighting etc.

13. SHOT 12
Shot twelve is an extreme close up of both character’s hands. In this shot you can see how
the male wants to leave but the female is trying to make him stay. The use of slow motion is
a convention of the genre as it reflects the slow pace of the music. The audience can also
interpret this to show that it was a gradual thing, showing how feeling build up over time that
lead to a break up, this makes it more relatable to the audience and also shows more meaning
and emotion.

14. SHOT 13
Shot thirteen is a long shot of the female falling to the ground while the male walks away.
It is a centre point to the narrative as the audience now understands that the male has left
her and this is why she is upset. The slow motion, again, increases the emotion whilst
mirroring the pace of the song. Her falling is a representation of how she is feeling
which, once again, is relatable to the audience.

15. SHOT 14
Shot fourteen is a matched cut long shot of the female lying on the floor, alone. The use of
the location reinforces the idea of being solitary. It is seen frequently in this genre to
represent the start of a journey; which for my character, is getting over her ex partner.

16. SHOT 15
Shot fifteen is an extreme close up of the female’s back from behind, this is to show the
girl breathing which links to the lyrics ‘cause most of us are breathing through corrupted
lungs’. By linking the lyrics to the shot, it makes the narrative easier to understand to the
audience, and creates a better visual experience.

17. SHOT 16
Shot sixteen is a close up of the female’s face. In this shot she will be blowing smoke out of
her mouth. This is conventional of the genre as a lot of indie artists smoke, as well as being
conventional of the song as ‘youth’ connotes rebellious teens which then connotes smoking
and drinking. This shot also reflects the lyrics in the song ‘setting fire to our insides for fun’
the smoke coming out of her mouth looks as though her insides are on fire, which further
links the narrative to the music.

18. SHOT 17
Shot seventeen is an extreme close up of Lily’s hand. This shows that she is pushing herself
up, presenting the idea that she is making the first move in her journey to get over her ex.
However the high angle shot can make the subject look vulnerable, which could reflect the
idea that she is still very vulnerable in her recovery.

19. SHOT 18
Shot eighteen is a side view close up of Lily’s legs as she gets up. In contrast to the last shot
which was high angle, this shot is eye level which could represent that she is getting stronger
and less vulnerable the more she stands up and is becoming less dependant on her ex partner.
The shot of her legs can also be seen as a sales technique thought by theorist Laura Mulvey
with her idea of the ‘male gaze’ that women that are seen in a more provocative, sexual way will
attract heterosexual males to buy the product and that the women who see the video will aspire
to be like that in order to attract males, themselves. By showing just her legs, the shot is quite
innocent but can also have sexual connotations which reflect ‘youth’ and expectations of being
young.

20. SHOT 19
Shot nineteen is a matched cut, the same shot as previous but from a different angle. The
repetition of this shot reinforces that the character is getting stronger and more
independent.

21. SHOT 20
Shot twenty is a flash back scene, for these shots I am going to add a retro looking filter
post-production. This makes the narrative easier to understand as they can see that this
shot is set in the past due to the visual change in editing. Many music videos of this genre
use filters like black and white or retro ones to make the video look authentic, which
reflects the authentic music that they are promoting.

22. SHOT 21
Shot twenty-one is a pan to the right, along with showing the other characters in the
video, it also shows the location. The location of this flash back scene is set in my friends
band room. Music locations like gigs are used a lot in indie videos to reinforce the idea of
independent, live band music that isn’t always in studios recording but just playing for fun.
This is an idea that indie music is based on.

23. SHOT 22
Shot twenty-two is a mid close up on the other character’s faces showing them laughing and
having a good time, this contrasts previous shots and the mood of the song which is quite
sad and slow. The happy characters help the audience understand the narrative and that this
shot is in the past creating a non linear narrative. It is adding to the narrative by giving the
audience some back story to the main characters.

24. SHOT 23
Shot twenty-three is a mid close up of Lily and Wes. The use of a mid shot of the couple
shows their closeness which contrasts the previous shots. again, helping the narrative by
showing the couple’s backstory. The use of a normal bulb light instead of natural light also
subtly portrays the idea that their happiness is artificial and is finite. The use of natural light
in the woodland shots shows her realisation that their love was not real.

25. SHOT 24
Shot twenty-four is the same shot as previous but with the couple showing affection.
Personal relationships from Blumler and Katz’s uses gratification theory is reflected in my
music video as people will want to see happy couples to help satisfy their own desire to have
a relationship or even perhaps as a tension release to escape their own personal relationships
as reassurance.

26. SHOT 25
Shot twenty-five is a long shot of the friends drinking, this reflects the lyrics ‘we are the
reckless’ this reinforces the ideology of being a reckless teenager. The costume in this scene
is more dressy and party-like than the other scenes, again representing the typical party
teenager. Conforming to these conventions make the narrative easier to understand and
create stereotypes to help the audience understand a character role and mood in the video.

27. SHOT 26
Shot twenty-six, like the last shot is used to reflect the lyrics ‘we are the wild youth’
conforming to people’s stereotypes of the typical rebellious teenager that smokes, drinks
alcohol and possibly does drugs. The close up creates familiarity with the main character
even through she is seen in a different way. The use of heavier make up could imply that this
is not the real her and that she is doing it to fit into a crowd. Again using the uses and
gratification theory we can assume that the young audience will watch this video to fulfil
their personal integrative needs to feel credibility and status or even just to relate to the
character.

28. SHOT 27
Shot twenty-seven is a mid shot of Lily as she turns to run in slow motion. There are no
filters on this shot to let the audience know that we are back in the present and it is not still a
flash back. The slow motion contrasts the lyric ‘chasing’ reflecting the stereotype that young
people can be lazy and don’t work hard enough for their futures.

29. SHOT 28
Shot twenty-eight is an extreme close up of Lily’s feet as she is running through the woods.
This reflects the lyrics from both the previous shot and this one ‘chasing visions of our
futures’ showing that she isn’t being lazy like the stereotype, she is trying to achieve her
future. Close ups on feet running is very conventional in indie music videos as it portrays the
idea of a journey which are what most indie songs are about. These faster shots also add a
bit more excitement to the video and coincides with the speed of the music.

30. SHOT 29
Shot twenty-nine is still a close up on Lily’s feet although they have stopped. This creates
suspense for the audience as they want to see what she has stopped for and they want to
know what she can see. Making an audience feel something, either suspense, happiness or
sadness etc. makes the video more memorable and means that they are more likely to
purchase the song or show the video to a friend. This is a good sales technique to include in
a promotional video.

31. SHOT 30
Shot thirty is a close up on Lily’s face holding a shocked expression, this further increases
suspense like the last shot. This is followed by the use of a pan to the right to reveal Wes
stood in front of her. The use of a pan instead of just a straight cut, again creates more
suspense while also the movement gives the impression that the journey is still taking place
even though the character has stopped moving. It links to the lyrics ‘we’ll reveal the truth’
suggesting that lies where a part of their break up, making the audience more eager to know
what they were whilst helping them further to understand the narrative.

32. SHOT 31
Shot thirty-one is a long shot of both characters, as Lily tries to touch Wes he disappears.
The use of super imposition to make Wes disappear gives the video a more
edgy, supernatural feel as the audience can’t tell if he is actually there or if it is all just in
Lily’s mind. It makes the audience more intrigued in the storyline and want to know what
happened to them.

33. SHOT 32
Shot thirty-two is a low angle-long-tracking shot of Lily walking up the stairs with the only
light coming from the top of the stairs. This could subtly reflect her journey, that to her it
seems that she has to climb a mountain in order to achieve what she set out to do. The use
of lighting can reflect what she is trying to achieve. However the low angle shot makes her
look stronger and suggests to the audience that she is capable of doing so. The audience
watching who have gone through a break up will relate to this shot well or for some people it
might make them feel better about their own situation or give them hope that they will feel
better too.

34. SHOT 33
Shot thirty-three is a close up of Lily’s hand pushing open the door with light coming from
behind the door. This could represent her being able to climb the stairs and achieve what she
set out to do, again referring to theme of a ‘journey’ that is so prominent in indie videos. Her
hands in the video, become a motif as they are seen a lot in the video, they represent her
helping herself complete her journey; from pushing herself up to pushing open a door
which holds light (which in itself connotes happiness and peace).

35. SHOT 34
Shot thirty-four is a side view close up of Lily’s hand turning the bath tap on. The repetition
of the close up on the hand reinforces that it is a motif. This shot links to the lyric ‘feelings’
as the tap could reflect her opening up her feelings and letting them out.

36. SHOT 35
Shot thirty-five is a close up on the taps. Bathroom shots are used a lot in music videos as
the water is natural and nature is often a major part of an indie music video, as it represents
purity and the flow of the water can match the pace of the song, setting a certain mood
dependant on it’s pace.

37. SHOT 36
Shot thirty-six is an over the shoulder shot of Lily setting fire to a picture. In this shot we can
see that her dress is muddy instead of clean at the beginning of the video, this can connote
her loss of innocence and naivety to her previous relationship, or it could mean the struggles
she has come through to get to the point of getting over her past love. Either way the mud
resembles her realisation that relationships aren’t always what they seem or the ideologies that
we create through media. The audience watching will relate to this point of view through
ideologies in this video to contrast the original idea of a ‘perfect’ relationship.

38. SHOT 37
Shot thirty-seven is a close up of the burning photo. This shot not only reflects the previous
lyrics ‘setting fire to our insides for fun’ but it also displays to the audience a clear end to the
relationship. Fire is used a lot in indie videos as again, it reinforces nature and the elements.
Fire connotes a finality and an end which is used in my video to show the characters
relationship has ended and shows acceptance.

39. SHOT 38
Shot thirty-eight is a close up high angle shot of the burning photo falling into the bath of
water. This use of contrasts of fire and water can strongly connote their relationship and the
clashes that lead to it finishing. These clashing feelings are what the audience will relate to
and remember. The high angle shows vulnerability and implies that the relationship is
weak, if not insignificant, and the fact that it was dropped by the female character puts her in
a stronger position and shows that she is over it.

40. SHOT 39
Shot thirty-nine is a long shot from behind of Lily getting in the bath (in full costume!).
Baths are conventional because they resemble purifying and in this case could be the
character washing away the bad memories. It also fits quite well as she is muddy from being
in the woods, so it makes sense on a practical level as well as a mental level. Being in the
bath could mean her becoming ‘clean’ again and unburdened.

41. SHOT 40
Shot forty is an establishing shot of a flash back of the characters in the woods, on a rope
swing. I am using the use of a retro/old filter to create continuity and familiarity to the
audience that it is a flash back scene and I am also using a fade into the flash back to show
that she still has her memories but they aren’t as clear and are fading.

42. SHOT 41
Shot forty-one is a high angle long shot of Wes pushing Lily on the rope swing. The high
angle suggests they are vulnerable and unaware of their problems that will arise. The
costume is casual, including Doc Martens and a Parka for Wes, and boots and a big coat for
Lily. This is typically what an indie audience would wear, therefore making the video easier to
relate to, also the indie audience will see the video associated with their preferred genre and
want to dress like them. Again, similar to the uses and gratification theory that we watch
media for social acceptance and status. By dressing similarly to people in indie videos, they
will be considered more ‘indie’ and regarded a higher status by their peer group.

43. SHOT 42
Shot forty-two is a long shot of the couple showing affection. This shot also relates to the
gratification theory that as this is what people want to see. People will watch and want a
similar personal relationship as it is media like this that create ideologies of relationships and
other matters in society, that people then base their idea of what a relationship should be like.
They then strive to achieve this personal goal and are disappointed when it doesn’t happen
how they thought, just like the character within my music video who has also just realised this
for herself. My music video is then creating ideologies while trying to show people that
ideologies are not realistic.

44. SHOT 43
Shot forty-three is a cross cut to Lily on the swing rope in present tense. You can see this by
the use of a flash and no use of a filter. The flash resembles her memory so the audience
can clearly see the difference between reality and what is in her head. The lack of filter
shows that it is hard hitting reality, there is nothing there to make it look nicer or happier. It
shows how the character is now not seeing things through ‘rose tinted glasses’ but as it really
is.

45. SHOT 44
Shot forty-four is a zoom to a mid-shot of Lily of the rope swing. The zoom represents her
realisation, making her appear bigger and taking up more of the screen shows that she is less
vulnerable as she was previously and has more control.

46. SHOT 45
Shot forty-five is a medium close up of Lily while a skull is super imposed flashing across her
face. This add to the mystery of the video as the audience question her mental sanity. This
makes the feelings more apparent to the audience whilst adding something different to the
video to keep the audience entertained. This shot also links to the lyrics ‘a lifeless face that
you’ll soon forget’ implying that she knows that his memories of her will fade just like hers are
fading of him.

47. SHOT 46
Shot forty-six is an extreme close up of the female’s eye with messy make up to show that she
has been crying. This links to the lyrics ‘my eyes are damp from the words you left’ showing
that her memories of him are fading however she can still remember the hurtful things he
said, mirroring most relationships that end badly.

48. SHOT 47
Shot forty-seven is a long shot of Lily in the woods frantically shaking her head. The shot is
speeded up and reversed displaying a manic motion which reflects her mood of constantly
contrasting opinions and feelings. It relates to the lyrics ‘ringing in my head’ that he is like an
annoying noise that she can’t get rid of, the motion of her shaking her head shows that she
wants it to stop and go away, while the use of editing by speeding it up and reversing the shot
shows the urgency of her feelings towards him.

49. SHOT 48
Shot forty-eight is a reversed, slow motion, close up on Lily’s hair. The slow motion
contrasts the last shot and reflects her constant change in emotions. Th flow of hair will
match the pace of the song.

50. SHOT 49
Shot forty-nine is similar to shot forty-eight however the end of the shot just shows Lily
stood still. This shows that her confusion has stopped and she is over her break up. The
lyrics ‘when you broke my chest’ represent how he broke her heart however the stillness
shows her acceptance.

51. SHOT 50
Shot fifty is a close up of Lily miming the line ‘And if you’re in love, then you are the lucky
one.’ the use of performance style elements along with a narrative makes the video appeal to
more people. The use of performance reminds the audience that the video’s purpose is to
promote the artist and their talents. By singing the lyrics they are trying to sell, it gives the
song more meaning and believability.

52. SHOT 51
Shot fifty-one is a pull focus to the background to reveal Wes stood at a long shot behind her.
This shows that he is always there at the back of her thoughts. This also reflects the lyrics
‘cause most of us are bitter over someone’ making it easy for the audience to understand that
she is bitter towards him, showing some more backstory to their relationship ending.

53. SHOT 52
Shot fifty-two is another pull focus back to the foreground as Lily mimes the line ‘Setting fire
to our insides for fun’ the use of repetition of extreme close ups reinforce the promotion of
the artist as the audience will recognise them if they see their album in a shop or their advert
on the television. This builds up a fan base for the artist who can there share the artists
songs to their peers which further increases promotion and sales.

54. SHOT 53
Shot fifty-three is another pull focus to the background to show that Wes is no longer there
which makes the audience wonder where he has gone and again makes the audience question
if it is reality or if it is all in her head. It questions if he was ever there at all.

55. SHOT 54
Shot fifty-four is the same shot but Wes walks into the shot on the lyric ‘them’ this adds and
unexpected, creepy element to the video which makes his character seem possessive and
controlling, further making Lily out to be the protagonist and himself the antagonist. It
makes the audience empathise more with Lily and blame him for still being in her thoughts
even when he isn’t there physically. Wes then fades out at the end of the shot making him
seem ghostly and ‘evil’.

56. SHOT 55
Shot fifty-five is the last pull focus of Lily turning around as she senses a presence behind her.
Only the audience know Wes was there however the lyric ‘him’ suggests she felt as though it
was him.

57. SHOT 56
Shot fifty-six is a slow motion mid shot from the front of her getting in the bath (fully
clothed!) again, giving the impression that she is ‘washing’ away all her bad memories oh
him and ‘purifying’ herself again, reinforcing the nature element and trying to be the
clean, innocent person at the beginning of the video.

58. SHOT 57
Shot fifty-seven is a birds eye mid shot of lily with her head under the bath water. This panics
the audience as they wonder if in actual fact he has driven her to suicide instead of the video
giving the impression that she was becoming stronger and getting over him. This is an
emotive technique used to generate a strong feeling of emotion from the audience to the
character in the video in order to make the video more memorable, effective and
promotional.

59. SHOT 58
Shot fifty-eight is still the bird’s eye close up of Lily under the water as she opens her eyes.
This links to the lyrics ‘and you caused it’ as the motion of her opening her eyes can be seen
as an ‘awakening’ and a final realisation that she is not to blame for the failing of their
relationship, further making the video more relatable to other young people who felt
undeserved guilt after a break up. Making a video more relatable increases the popularity and
interest in the video, generating more purchases and higher sales. Fulfilling the purpose of a
music video to promote.

60. SHOT 59
Shot fifty-nine and the three shots that follow, mirror the four first shots in the woods. By
starting and ending with the same shots, it creates the feeling of closure for the audience, that
the story has come full circle. The difference is that Lily looks slightly messier. This shows that
the character has been through some trauma but still managed to carry on.

61. SHOT 60
Shot sixty is a tilt up the trees. The shot starts off fairly dark but as the angle becomes more
prominent, the lighting becomes brighter, reflecting the narrative that the character is over her
‘dark’ period.

62. SHOT 61
Shot sixty-one is a low angle establishing shot of the trees. The lighting is darker than in the
original shot but is still lighter than the previous one to show continuity and that time moves
on. The flash of non-diegetic material ‘youth’ reappears for five seconds to reinforce the
promotional idea of the video and remind the audience of the song title so that they can
purchase and also share the song with peers.

63. SHOT 62
Shot sixty-two is the final shot and is just the low angle, establishing shot of the trees. The
video starts and finishes on the shots of trees to highlight and reinforce the idea of nature
that is seen in most indie folk videos. Trees are especially conventional and used a lot for their
connotations of life and wisdom.