Context & Research:
SWOT Analysis:
Above is a table that features my SWOT analysis. It identifies what I am good at and what I am bad at. It is a good way to reflect on what I can do well and consider how I can make a project using my strengths and learning more techniques and pushing myself a bit more.
Brainstorming Ideas:
This is the first process of my researching. I have decided to layout everything floating in my head (to do with this project). Based on all this I will be trying to extend a story from it and come up with a solid idea.
Story Considerations:
At this point, I am thinking that the story I eventually decide to go with needs to be suitable for certain things.
First of all It needs to be ok for filming at the start of the summer/end of spring. This means I will need to consider the mood. It will be upbeat and happy as it will (hopefully) be sunny.
There is also the consideration of location. In order to get the number of shots you should get for a music video (let alone upbeat video), I will not be able to spend too much time away from where I live. I may be able to go for a day to get a few shots for a section but I would rather keep it closer to home. This means It will either be located in towns or the countryside. Seeing as though I want it to be happy and summer-y, the countryside sounds better.
Themes Mind Map:
These are a few themes that I have thought about for the video. I may not use a lot of them but it was so I could see clearly what I am thinking initially. I will be looking at some Music Videos for songs in the genre that I want next so I can better decide a theme and story.
Music Video Analysis:
(Narrative, Concept or Performance)
The above is a selection of music videos For Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds 1st Album of the same name. These three really stand out to me because they lead into each other, like a trilogy.
The 1st one (If I Had A Gun...) is a story about a wedding that is interrupted by a cowboy and the bride decides to go off with him instead. This is a heavily Narrative based video and I don't think it directly references the lyrics of the song which is something I could consider for mine.
The 2nd (The Death Of You And Me) is conceptual. It features Noel writing a song in a 1950's-60's American Diner, which is hinted to at the end of 'IIHAG...', and one of the waitresses looks like she is fed up with her life. Then an old travelling circus/contraband turns up with a creepy old wagon that she wants to go inside. The whole video does not have anything extravagant but that is what makes it special. It is all set in a small diner in the middle of nowhere and every character looks interesting.
This, of cause, leads into the 3rd song (AKA... What A Life!). It begins with a very strange sequence in the wagon featuring Russel Brand and the waitress from the previous video. Just as Russel is about to give her some sort of potion Noel appears as a sort of hero figure. The Song then begins and plays a sort of montage to the overall story where, the protagonist, Russel Brand is trying to find Noel and sends his Nieces out to find him. It ends with noel driving off into the sunset with the waitress he has rescued.
I really like these 3 videos because they not only look really good but they tell an overarching story like a trio of films. It is very cinematic and has an Americana feel. The locations play a major part in this. I will be carefully considering a location for mine as it is a vital part to a music video as shown by these examples.
I also quite like how noel has a supporting role in each video and does in most of his other videos as well which is something I could do.
Possibly my favourite song from my favourite band Is Knights Of Cydonia by Muse. One of the most famous attributes to this masterpiece is the Music Video. It is crazy. It features things from 70's Westerns, Sci-Fi, Karate, Romance and yet it works so well and is what makes it iconic. And it perfectly captures the man child nature of the band. It is conceptual with a little performance. The main reason for me including it in my research is that it is perfectly fine to make no sense what so ever in the video.
Another good example of British rock bands from the 00's is Stereophonics. Their most popular song 'Dakota' is the video I have chosen. It is mainly performative however does have some sequences driving a car and also sat in an apartment room. They use some interesting effects during the video as well like half-kaleidoscopes of the lead singer. This is a good example of a performative video and I can use it if I decide to go that route.
The only thing with doing stereophonics is that all the videos do feature the band and a performative format would be difficult to do as I don't know any bands that could do a video. A lot of planning and potentially some money would be required to do this so would not be the greatest approach with the limits i have with this project.
Primary Research:
These are the results of short survey I sent out. I have received 36 responses so far. For the 1st question, it turns out that more people like or watch Music Videos than not. This was good to see as it tells me that people are interested in music videos.
The 2nd question was the main question for the survey and I have found that people prefer 'Something different from the norm' and 'A change in someones mental state' more than the others. I will most likely use one of these in my project that fits a song that I choose.
The 3rd and final question was optional but the one that I was most interested in was the first response, 'Change in philosophical beliefs'. I don't think I will do this because it doesn't suit the mood I want for the video however it is a clever take on the word 'change'.
Choosing A Song:
The most critical part of developing a music video is deciding on a song. Over the last couple weeks I have been thinking of a few songs I could use that fit my criteria. Below I will be listing the songs I have been thinking of:​
These are the 8 contenders for my final project. They all are quite upbeat, Released between 2000-2019 and are from the British Rock genre. I now need to decide on one that has the most potential and that fits the feel that I am going for in the project.
The Song Is...
I have decided to go with the Noel Gallagher song: Ballad Of The Mighty I (Released In 2015). This is a great song from NGHFB and I think it has some potential with what I want to achieve with this music video. It is upbeat and about about the things in life that are just out of reach. Its message is that you are not meant to get things without working hard to achieve it. Noel said in an interview that "the journey is better than a destination". Although the video does not have to perfectly (or even slightly) match the songs meaning I feel I could use the theme of the song to create a story based on this ideology. I do really love this song and wanted to work on a song that I like so I can enjoy the process a lot more. And it makes the end result tonnes better if you like the song accompanying it. I now need to create a story for said song so I can start grinding on this project properly.
Music Video Concept:
Judging by the survey results, people want to see a story that is different from normal stuff. This is a very vague theme but I think if I combined two themes it could work. If I were to do this, I would add the changing in mental state idea.
​
My idea is to have a guy isolated (probably in a field) and we don't know what he is doing there. Then a person that comes by him and doesn't notice the guy. Slightly later on there is an object that brings the 2 characters together. They then leave together, the guy is no longer alone. I want the message to be that people that are anxious can always find a way out of it.
​
My unique selling point is going to be all in the visuals. I want it to really pop with the way it looks. This is why I wanted to do a little bit of After Effects. I want the video to appeal to the modern generation which does mean that it will need to capture interest quite early on on and be visually pleasing and also fit the song. I will also need a hook which is what I was missing from the last music video I made. The hook in this video could be that the audience isn't sure what the matter is with this person. This causes people to guess and what to find out more. It would then be revealed when they shy away from human interaction.
Contextual Research:
In order to convey what I am going for, I need to do some contextual research that will inform my creative process.
This music video by the same band as my song is the visual style I want to compose in my project. Although it is the wrong colour and imagery i think the way it is edited could be amazing for mine if I can pull it off. This is my main inspiration and will be using this to clearly visualise how i am going to film and edit the video. I really like the fast moving images and the shear amount of stuff that is happening on screen is the style that I enjoy and that will keep people entertained throughout. I will also need to find a way of showing the narrative as well. It will be a challenge but I do like the idea.
During the intro to the hit UK Sitcom 'Only Fools and Horses', there is several sections when the main actors are being introduced that a clip of the characters is displayed. I really like how it is almost like a stop motion. They introduce to the audience each character in a few seconds. It matches the entire theme of the tv series and just sets you in the right mood. I could definitely use this to introduce my characters in the music video quite quickly as i do want to have quick shots throughout. The frames are moving in time with the beat and could be replicated in my music video.
I am mainly focussing on the isolating side of this video. Because I am basing the narrative side of the video around someone that is isolated I decided to look at 'Cast Away'. Although I'm not looking to do a "stranded on an island" story, I do think this clip gives me some ideas of what the character could be doing or how they can be acting almost. The coconut falling from the tree did catch my interest as Tom hanks' reaction does kind of match what my character may react to the same situation.
Marvel's 1st Movie, post pandemic, features an opening credits scene that acts as a montage to introduce what has happened throughout Black Widow's life. There are a couple sections in said montage that uses a 90's Camcorder type of footage. I Really like the idea of using this in mine to sort of show how the characters childhood may have affected their mental state.
These 4 bits of contextual research have helped me to visualise my idea and to expand upon it. The music video is a major inspiration for the look/effects that I want to use for my video. I want the character to feel truly alone like Tom Hanks in Cast Away. I do like the idea of having several frames to create a little stop motion like sequence that introduces the character(s) like in the opening sequence of Only Fools and Horses. And to do a few sections of old Camcorder footage, maybe from the characters childhood that affected him in the present day, like in the opening credits of Black Widow.
Analysing Ballad Of The Mighty I:
The official music video for the song is, simultaneously, the opposite and also very similar to my concept. It features a lone man walking through the streets of a city (I'm not sure which one, somewhere in England) and walks past multiple people/situations. It is kind of like what I am thinking because the character is almost not visible by the rest of the world, like mine where the character is not noticed by other people.
One of the things about the video that does stand out in the crowd is that at the start and the beginning you can see a sort of behind the scenes section where the director is speaking to Noel and telling him what to do. It sort of makes fun of Noel's 'Hatred' of making music videos (especially at the end).
I thought I'd take a quick look at the lyrics also to have a look at the relevance my concept has to the song itself. I think the main connection point is the line "But you just passed me by". This is where the idea of not noticing the character comes from. The Character can't help it but just watch people pass them by, despite them wanted to get to know people. The line in the chorus "I'll find you" that is repeated throughout is like the repeated reassurance to themselves that they can get out of the rut that they are in, mentally.
There is also something I am considering to manipulate is the fact that in the album that this song was in (Chasing Yesterday). The song before this (You Know We Can't Go Back) directly leads into this with a piano line that is very seamless. I am thinking of using the end of YKWCGB as maybe a prologue to the main video. Something I have thought of is having the end of the song playing on the radio. This could be playing in the car when the character gets to the prime location then when it is turned off it cuts into the proper audio of the track. This is just a idea off the top of my head and may not happen but I do quite like the idea of it.
Plot Point Research:
Anxiety (Research gathered from the official NHS website)
Anxiety isn't necessarily just a mental illness. Anyone can suffer from it at any time. It's just some people deal with it in different ways in different situations. The definition of anxiety states that it is "a feeling of unease, such as worry or fear, that can be mild or severe." In my project I will be focusing on the type of anxiety in which someone is afraid to talk or be around other people. Some effects of suffering from this include being restless, struggling to concentrate and sometimes dizziness or heart palpitations with some more serious cases.
The causes of this disorder or not fully understood but there are several suggestions that the NHS have listed including:
-
Overactivity in areas of the brain involved in emotions and behaviour
-
An imbalance of the brain chemicals serotonin and noradrenaline, which are involved in the control and regulation of mood
-
The genes you inherit from your parents – you're estimated to be 5 times more likely to develop GAD if you have a close relative with the condition
-
Having a history of stressful or traumatic experiences, such as domestic violence, child abuse or bullying
-
Having a painful long-term health condition, such as arthritis
-
Having a history of drug or alcohol misuse
However it is also perfectly normal that it can happen for no apparent reason.
It is said that around 5% of people in the UK struggle with Generalised Anxiety Disorder and most are women. It is also more common in people between the ages of 35 and 59 years old.
Doing this little bit of research has given me a little bit of insight into Anxiety. Because I am not focussing on it in the video I do not need an essay about this however what I have done is sufficient, I feel, for what i needed it for.
Target Audience/Marketing:
In order to clarify my idea, I need to look at what my target audience will be.
I would say that the typical audience member of NGHFB was a 90's kid who grew up with Oasis and now listens to this. to be a 90's kid you would be about 35-40 years old. There is also the younger generation who's parents liked them and passed it on to their kids. This would put them at about 15-20 years old. I don't think you can place a particular gender on it as it is a mixture, however I think that males are more common/likely to like this type of music.
​
I would say that 15-20 year olds are more likely to watch Music Videos as it is more accessible today as they can be found on YouTube, Vimeo, Social Media and the internet as well as on TV. This age range do use these resources more than any other generation (in general) and they don't have to tune in to TV at a certain time once a week. I am going to aim it towards 15-20 year olds.
​
The Psychographic I am going to go for is people who struggle with interacting with people but do enjoy listening to music and/or watch music videos. I would also like to have people that like going outdoors in the summer and taking photos.
​
Something that I do want to do is market my product. To do this I want to create a small teaser for it as well as a proper thumbnail for the video. I will be putting it on social media (specifically instagram and twitter) as well as youtube.
Colour Scheme:
To start preparing my pitch, I decided that I needed to get a colour scheme in order to communicate what look I am going for. I have gone and used the Adobe Colour Wheel to create this and I think that could work really nicely with what I have in my mind.
The 5 colours I have chosen are across the middle. They seem very light hearted colours and 'summer-y'. It does capture the vibe I am thinking and also the locations I am also thinking of. This will also inform the costumes and props etc. that may be used.
Pitch Presentation:
Pitch Feedback:
In order for me to move on with my project I have to Pitch my idea to several people. It is not an integral part of the project and won't really affect my grade however it is an essential skill I will need if this were an official project. The PowerPoint presentation I will be using to assist my pitch can be found and looked through on the left.
After doing my pitch I have received some feedback on what I could do better for my project. The pitch went alright but I was asked a couple questions that I couldn't answer confidently. I do need to decide on location and make sure it is a reasoned decision. I was also given the idea of talking to someone who has anxiety and using this to further develop the narrative and potentially give me some insight into anxiety to help. The other thing to consider is to make the connection between the genre and the issue I am basing the story on clearer, which does make sense.
My Pitch:
This is the recording from my pitch.
Genre Research:
(Post-Britpop Era)
This is a small(ish) document I have made to show research done into the Britpop and post Britpop era's.
One thing to consider is the appropriateness of the song/genre with the theme of the narrative. The reason I chose this song was not only because I enjoy the song but also because I think the lyrics tie in to the theme of social anxiety really well, if you look at it the right way (which has been talked about further up this page). The song also has a sombre tone is not typical of the British rock genre however it fits the feel of the video that I have in my head. The beat of the song is also of a good tempo also.
Costume/Props:
The image to the left is a photo taken from one of NGHFB Live performances. I have used this image to see what they usually wear (in terms of clothes).
To me it looks like they all wear quite summer-y shirts and grey chino's. They sometimes also wear black leather jackets which might be in the colder months. This does help the fact that my video will be set in the summer. They also show that they are not glamorous or of expensive taste but are very casual and 'common'. It does appeal to there audience as well because Noel (even back in Oasis) was renowned for being the representation of the 'working class' because he grew up with a poor family in Manchester, not the typical famous person beginning. I could easily replicate this style in the video as it is not expensive and I already have a selection of clothes like these.
This next image is from one of their other music videos (Black Star Dancing) and I wanted to have a general look at what props they usually use. In most of their videos, there is usually at least a guitar featured, although there are a couple without any instruments in. Because I have access to a couple guitars I think that if I needed to I could use it.
There is not really a set list of props that they do use as it is such a wide variety. They could use anything from a pair of trainers to a fake car which could also be considered as the props that I might use in the video could be extremely various but need to fit the aesthetic of the video.
This little bit of research does solidify my ideas for the project. I do have an idea of costume now and I believe that most people do have access to similar clothes. In terms of props, I will try to keep them with the aesthetic however they don't need to be carefully selected otherwise as NGHFB use a tonne of different props.
Locations:
One of the major parts of planning that I need to do for the project Is decide on locations. In this section, I will try to explain in as much detail as possible what the aesthetic and locations of my video.
I want the locations to be really symbolic to the Main character, the opening parts of the video will be set in very rural areas where there is nothing around except fields. This will show that the person is far away from society and that he is at peace on his own. As soon as people begin to walk by him though he's suddenly more closed off and hunched over as if they cannot relax. I may suddenly change this to being in the woods or maybe even streets in a town (however that may be a stretch and might not work). As the video progresses they start to panic as they get closer to people/society, tension is increase and in the tension I ant there to be lots of quick cuts between scenery and close ups on the character. The end will be in the woods (or near some trees) as they overcome the fear they exit the woods with someone else. This symbolises the end of the characters story arc and it ends.
As stated before the locations are going to give a visual sense of what is going through the characters head in each situation without it being obvious.
Mood Board:
This is the mood board I have come up with. It features all the visual elements I have in my head for the project. It has really helped me to better see what I am looking to make.
Mike Bruce- Music Video Writer/Director:
During early research I looked into 3 of Noel Gallagher's Music Videos from the High Flying Birds 1st Album. Whilst looking for what I want my video to look like visually, I remember that these videos were prominent in my mind. I decided to look into who directed them and found this show reel for the directors other work.
Looking at some of his other work it shows that he has a particular style. He likes to use both slow motion and also time lapses in his videos (more so with the former). They are also very cinematic, by that I mean look visually interesting and well thought out (like an American blockbuster). They do have an Americana/western feel as well with the colour palettes and locations used, with 1950's-1960's cinema references in its look. One theme that also keeps popping up in these videos is romance. A lot of the characters do end up falling in love which kind of lines up with my idea. There are multiple techniques that I am considering using for my video and I think that Mike Bruce will end up being another major inspiration for my project. For example the slow motion and time lapse footage I quite like the idea of. I also do want to have a similar colour to his video's (warm summer colours like in California etc.) and with this added to what I am already thinking I think I could have a very nice music video.
Slow Motion in Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds Music Videos:
The most common technique used in a tonne of Noel Gallagher's music videos is the use of slow motion. Because it is such an important feature to their videos I need to address it and will most likely use it in my video to keep with the theme. Although I cannot find the exact speed of said Slow-Mo sequences, I would say that it is (typically) around half normal speed. They don't fix to one speed however, as it is more important that it matches the beat of the song.
Camera Movements:
The above is a video I found on YouTube multiple creative shot ideas that I could use for my video. I may try and use some of these in a test shoot to see how well they work. I really like the "Michael Bay" move and will probably use this. Another one that caught my interest was the "bicycle" reveal. It does not need to be a bike however it could be someone walking past instead. The Pan up Look up, Pull back reveal, Push zoom, and Stuff on lens also interested me. I will be testing most of these to see how well they work with the equipment I have and decide whether or not I will end up using any of them or not.
Cinematic Shots:
This short video features some cinematic looking shots and angles that I quite like. Because I am going to be quite cinematic with the video. This video does help give me some ideas of what I could do to make my shots look better.
Camera Angles:
The final video shows 12 of the most popular camera angles. This list of camera angles and some knowledge of how to use them will be really good for not having the video get boring with only a couple of shot types. It will capture my audiences attention throughout and keep it looking 'professional'. One thing that I do need to seriously consider is that the camera techniques that I do use need to benefit the video whether that be visually or to improve the narrative.
Rethinking Ideas:
Whilst doing my contextual research for the music video I am creating, I stated that I wanted to feature some VHS style footage to act as almost a short backstory into the characters. Recently, while preparing for production, I decided against the idea. I believe that it would mess with the pacing of the video and not fit well in the timeline. It may also be quite jarring to go from nice colourful crisp footage to old camera footage. As much as I did like the idea of it, practically I think it just wouldn't make sense to do it.
To replace the idea I came up with another more thoughtful and conceptual sequence. In the music video for Rag 'n' Bone man's 'Human', I noticed the use of a selection of peoples faces throughout the video. Said video can be found below.
I believe this to put across the message that we are all human no matter who we are or what we look like. I have decided that I could feature a section in my video that has multiple peoples faces (as close ups) to show that so many people are faced with the same problem of anxiety, which is highlighted in my music video. This could work really nicely and fit a lot better than the VHS concept I had before would.
Improve Editing:
This video has helped me with slightly improving my edit by adding some little things like increasing the quality of the picture and creating a widescreen aspect ratio. I have learned a couple tips and tricks for future projects as well that I was not able to do for this project as I was already halfway through editing when I discovered the video.
Achieving a Cinematic Look:
This is a very important video for me with the cinematic feel I want to accomplish with my music video. This showed me how I can go from really basic footage only using a handheld camera to having really great, smooth footage with a cinematic colour grade. One of the features shown in the video was the Warp Stabiliser effect in Premiere Pro which I will be using where I can as a lot of my shots are quite shaky because I don't have a 'Gimble'.
Editing Cuts:
This next video is quite a short one however it does go into some detail on the different cuts I could use instead of the standard jump cuts I am used to using. I want to try and vary the shot types as much as possible in the edit to keep it visually interesting.
More Primary Research:
After showing a version of my music video, that is almost complete, I have received some thoughts.
Most of the people that viewed it said it is really good as a whole. It tells a good story and looks really nice are the 2 main compliments I was given.
One point that someone made is that it isn't really clear what the 3rd character is for without knowing. Someone else also said that the placement of some sequences are a bit off and could work a lot better elsewhere on the timeline. To kill 2 birds with one stone I decided to introduce the 3rd character at the guitar solo and have most of his scenes there. Therefore all you need to know is there in that section and also it means his appearance is more prominent and at the height of the songs tension. This means that people will not so easily forget him by the end when he gets the guitar back.
​
Another bit of feedback I received was that there is a lot of 'pointless filler' (essentially) throughout the video. It did drag on and did take away from the feeling of the music video and subverts the idea of having an engaging video I am aiming to create. I simply removed the shots and replaced them with some unused footage of the characters and also some more meaningful scenery shots. I also removed the sequence that featured the faces of a couple of people. It was pointed out to me that it did feel odd and out of nowhere. Instead of having it be more important throughout the video, possibly sacrificing some other great sequences I decided it was best to be rid of it completely. After fixing these 2 problems my Video has improved drastically.
After Effects!
Now it's time for After Effects. This very long basics guide for After Effects gives a very clear guide of what After Effects is and what it can do and shows a couple basic effects and how to create them as well. I will be dedicating a couple hours to this video so that I have basic knowledge that is quite necessary for some of the effects I want to use.
No After Effects?
After watching the long beginners guide to adobe after effects I decided to open the app up and begin using it to add effects to some of the sequences in my video. After lots of head scratching and mild frustration, I later found out that there wasn't any quick way of importing my music video into after effects. The file was too big and the video would not run properly in the app. I also tried finding ways of adding specific sequences from my premiere timeline but couldn't do this either. With little over a week until deadline I finally decided that the wish to use effects could not be done. It is a shame as I feel it could have added a real 'wow' factor to my music video. The time taken watching the video has not gone to waste though as I now have very basic knowledge of it for the future.
Aspect Ratios:
Briefly looking at Aspect Ratios, I have found the in modern day the most common Aspect Ratio in film and other forms of media is 16:9. This means that you can play both 4:3 (which is the boxy old style) and a widescreen ratio (for more cinematic shows). Because I have decided to go for a cinematic look I have gone for a widescreen format. Other than looking cinematic is also feels slightly more claustrophobic than a full screen format would be. Which suggests the character is not very open and enclosed in their mind. Almost every good film has a meaningful Aspect Ratio and this does seem quite meaningful.
This video helped me better understand aspect ratios and why they are used.
The Credits:
The final thing added to most forms of media and the most important (in the creators eyes) is the products credits sequence. This ensures that every person involved with the making of the project is listed (usually at the end). The credits also give a little bit of insight of just how many people it takes to make a project. Some blockbusters feature around 10 minute credit sequence with hundreds of names and companies featuring throughout. The video below explains what most of the roles listed in the credits are for and in what order they appear.
Although there aren't that that many people involved in the making of my music video I do think it is a necessary addition to my project. I have also been asked to add some credits as I have recently decided to submit the Music video to a local film festival.
Fonts:
For the sections with text both at the start and the credits at the end I am using a specific font to better improve the look of the video. I used a website called 'Dafont' to download the font used by Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds and is the same font as there logo. This helps better keep it within the theme of the music and also the original artist. It also makes it seem more official as well rather than just a student project which I love.
Exporting:
With my music video now at a stage where I am really happy with it. I think it is safe to say it is complete. The next stage is to export it. Considering the fact that It will be going on to YouTube I need to set the right format and quality for it to look as good as possible on YouTube. I first rendered the whole timeline in to out to ensure everything was loaded properly and would run at the best quality. I then went ahead to the export settings.
For format I selected the H.264 which is the format I would usually use on all my projects. Then for preset I selected High Quality 1080p which is so people are able to watch it at the highest quality possible with my footage. The aspect ratio was technically set for 16:9 but I have included black bars on the top and bottom to make it widescreen (I have explained this in the Aspect Ratio section). I then exported and now have the MP4 ready for uploading.
I confirm that the work on this website is entirely my own and does not include any work completed by anyone other than myself, except where clearly stated otherwise, and that sources have been appropriately referenced.
Jack Petrie.