Initial plans for my music video

1. Initial Plans
Rebecca Edwards

2. Idea Generation
• Select a song/track that you like [or don’t like!]
• Generate three ideas for music videos employing styles, techniques
and conventions that we have looked at in previous sessions. Explore
how you could interpret the song differently using different methods
• You can add any extra info you think is relevant, images, mind maps,
etc
• For quick mind maps you could use bubbl.us to generate these

3. Remember…

4. Idea one
• Song: “Water” by Jack Garratt
• Could be a combination of shots of the singer lip syncing in the rain
on a street (most likely effects used here), near the end of the song
or final repeat of the chorus, the rain will freeze and then proceed to
go upwards as the video continues.
• Could also contain multiple shots of the character maybe looking up
to the sky or walking through the rain with a mix of wide shots and
close ups
• The shots could also alternate between the street settng and the
character singing in a studio envirment, also shot in black and white

5. Idea two
• Song: “Monster” by Imagine Dragons
• Could be a combination of lip syncing and a person being chased by
their “inner demons” or fears and depicts them being isolated from
the rest of humanity. The demons could be personified as versions of
the person or shadows following the character on walls, buildings
etc.
• Character could end up being literally consumed by these fears,
shown by maybe their silhouette at the end of the video.
• The scenes could shift from the character lip-syncing in a dimly lit
studio to the street shots.

6. Idea three
• Song: “Song 2” by Blur
• Could mainly compose of a band playing/singing the song as there seems to
be no clear narrative to the song, could do various shots of members
playing/singing separately and all together
• Colours will be bright and positive atmosphere throughout, could reflect
colours of album cover art.
• Camera shots will vary quite a bit, from closeups of the singer or band
members to wide shots of the group or certain outstanding individuals at
that point in the track
• A green screen could be used to create a more lively atmosphere such as a
live performance to keep the audience interested
• The camera shots will be a mix of wide shots and close ups, alternating
between individual shots of the band members and close ups of the singer
or a band member that may be dominant in the track at that point.
• Could also be a montage of people dancing/singing to the song, recorded in
their own home environment

7. Mind map of ideas
[summary of ideas]

8. Summary
• 5 strengths of your ideas you could use
• All songs have varying tempos, allowing more leeway for editing and being able to cut to the beat in varying
ways?
• Most the songs seem to have a somber, down to earth tone which could be conveyed through maybe video
colour and character expression?
• Most of my ideas seem to use a limited amount of musicians/actors, so the likelihood of a more complex
backup plan will be less
• My “Monster” idea seems to be ambiguous in a way, leaving the meaning of the video up to interpretation.
• Some of the resources I may need are most likely accessible at college
• 5 weaknesses of you ideas
• Special effects or animations that may be needed for these videos may be hard to replicate or create as I do no
have the skills to make these resources
• Filming locations may be inaccessible
• All ideas seem to be too related to the lyrics as Imagine Dragon music videos seem to be very abstract
• There is a lack of creativity with my “Song 2” idea as there seems to be little to no narrative to the song and the
idea overall is limited
• I may not be able to find (reliable) actors or musicians to participate in my video

9. Final idea – artist/title/info
• "Song 2" - Blur
• Blur are an English rock band formed in 1988, whose main genres
were alternative rock, indie rock and Britpop, making them a and
which could be closely linked to other well know alternative bands
such as Queen and possibly Oasis with some of their most well
known songs being "Song 2", "Good Song" and "Coffee and TV" and
albums such as "13"
• "Song 2", often mistakenly titled "Whoo Hoo" which reached number
two on the UK Singles Chart in 1997 and can still be heard in modern
media today., withsome writers stating that the song is intended to
be a parody of the grunge genre.

10. Final idea – track summary
• The track appears to be a mix of a fast and slow pace, clearly heard
from the shift of the song from the verses to the main chorus. The
songs meaning seems to be rather illusive, with the lyrics of the song
seeming almost out of place and seeming to have no link or theme
running throughout, as there is more of a meaning behind the song
title, as the song is two minutes long, has two verses, two choruses
and is the second song on Blur's self titled album. The duration for
this type of song could be seen as quite short, as the majority of
songs last for three to four minutes. The style of the song does seem
to be consistent throughout and can be closely linked to the rock and
punk genre, such as the use of a very dominant bass guitar
throughout the track

11. Final idea – your idea
• My video idea is meant to mirror Blur's original music video in some way as
my video will also take place in a studio or secluded space and there
seemingly being no other narrative or story taking place, and will simply
consist of a band playing the song or an alternative, such as a montage of
covers of the song, both recorded and taken from sock footage. I could use
some slight imagery and genre conventions to indicate the style of the song,
such as the people in the entire video wearing punk/rocker like clothes and
displaying similar feature associated with that type of song, such as the
members jumping around/moshing to the song whilst it plays. My whole
video idea could be considered simpler than the original music video as the
original video involved effects such as the band members crashing into the
studio walls, which my video will not contain. However, the genre
conventions for my alternative idea may not be the same as the song as
some of the stock footage I collect may be too abstract when placed in the
video and not convey the overall theme or style of the song.

12. Final idea – techniques and styles
• In my video, I hope to mainly convey the punk/alternative rock style
that is heavily used throughout the song, which could also be
conveyed through the actors/musicians used rather than just the
song, such as attire and how they act and perform in the entirety of
the video. Additionally, I will try and convey the style further through
the use of mise-en-scene with features such as the overall colour
scheme, most likely dark or dim types or the setting that will be used,
which could be a small, confined space like the original video. I could
also try and use various camera angles throughout the filming
process, mainly wide shots, close ups and low angle shots of band
members or main participants in the video. The conventions
associated with my chosen song will also be incorporated into my
video with the use of various stock footage that I will use, these will
most likely be something connected with the tune, such as the
specific instruments being played

13. Summary
• 5 strengths of your ideas you could use
• The editing should be fairly simple
• The total people needed for my video could be considered limited?
• The whole concept of the video is relatively simple and it'll be able to be completed in a
short time frame
• No special effects will be necessary in the video
• Most/all of the equipment needed will be available at college
• 5 weaknesses of you ideas
• I don't know anyone who could participate in the video and to also be able to play the
required instruments
• I will need to find a place that is able to accommodate to the instruments required
• The people I eventually decide to put in my video may not be reliable or may not turn up
for shooting
• The idea as a whole may be too much of a parody to the original video idea
• The idea may also be too simple and not totally convey the genre the song is part of as
there is no concise narrative

14. Potential research targets
• I could look for possible alternative filming techniques that do not need a large
group or band present, such as a compilation of different people playing the
song, most likely using members of the class and make the video into a kind of
montage or homage to the original, possibly with comedic context
• I should also research how certain camera angles are attainable when filming a
high energy music video
• I need to find alternative filming/editing ideas to filming a band in a set location
as I do not know any band that could participate in the video.
• I could research when certain camera angles should be used at certain points in
a music video, such as when the chorus starts or when one instrument in the
song is more prominent than the others
• I could research any kind of image/video fillers I could use for my video to make
it more interesting rather than a simple montage
• I could also look at found footage or stock footage which I could edit into the
video to better sync it with the audio and make the video less reliant on lip-
syncing alone
• I should research other music videos that follow the song's style of rock/punk
and take into account how they've been shot/edited