No reply.

I sent an email to Coldplays record label 'Parlophone records' basically asking them if I could use '42' (a Coldplay song) for my music video in A-Level media. I have not received any reply from Parlophone reords, but I am still going ahead with using the song '42' for my music video. There shouldn't be any problems as I am only using the song for academic purposes and not for commercial gain.

Organised editing.

Now I have collected all the footage I think I will need it is time to upload it onto the computer. For the first lesson back at college I have been saving the footage I need for my music video onto the computer. I have started to split all the footage up into the appropriate categories. I was only going to save the footage I need, however some of the other footage I have, when the takes went wrong, I may be able to use, so I shall be saving the footage to either "useful" or "un-useful" folders. Therefore all the footage will be easy to find and have appropriate names. I will add more folders within the useful folder called "beach", "cliff" and "forest" and the footage put into those folders will depend on the location as to where that particular footage was shot at. All of the folders have proven to be very helpful so far and i'm sure they will when it comes to putting the shots together. Being this organised is definitely going to help with saving time and therefore makes my progression faster.

Code words for editing.

I have decided now that I have bgan editing my filming it would be easier if I make code words for time and ease. The codes will be easy for me to decipher and will take less time writing them, than it would if I was to right out the full word.
Here are my code words:

Characters:
L = Lyndon
R = Rachel

Locations:
B = Beach
C = Cliff
F = Forest

Costumes:
BC = Beach cotumes
CC = Cliff costumes
FC = Forest costumes

Camera work:
CU = Close up
MS = Mid shot
LS = Long shot
HA - High angle
LA = Low angle
Z = Zoom in/out
P = Panning shot
T = Tracking shot
BEV - Birds eye view shot

Hair & make-up.

This is an image I took of Lyndon, the male artist of my music video. His hair is completed and has no make-up on as I wanted him to look natural. The hair he did himself and turned out the way I wanted it to look and looked really good on the motion camera.

This is an image of Rachel, the female of my music video.

Her hair is completed and she is wearing little make-up as I wanted her to look fresh and natural. I originally decided on curly hair, however when I saw them straight on Rachel, I really liked it and I thought it would look really nice and effective if the long hair flowed and blew naturally in the wind. This is going to effect the shots I took on Wednesday 26th October 2011 and I may have to re-do them. This could be beneficial to me as when I watched the shots back they weren't as good as I expected them to be, so they may need to be redone with the straight hair.


The reason I wanted both of them to look natural is to match with the natural surroundings my music video is set in (forest, beach and cliffs).

Filming day completed.

After hair and make up finished at 10:30am today we then set off to the location at Roos church. We first went to the church grounds and filmed the bits I needed down the beautiful path leading up to the church entrance. The lighting was really good and we only used natural lighting from the sun as there was no need for artificial lighting as there were no clouds to block the sun. We the went into Roos camp, which is a wooded area next to the church. The sun light shone through the trees so I was able to film bits in the shade and bits in the sun. The cameras battery ran out at 2:00pm, so we walked back to Rachels house to charge it up for a while. After realizing it was getting a bit late to get everything else filmed today I decided to set off to Roos camp again at 2:30pm after leaving the camera on charge for a short time. I managed to get everything filmed I wanted at about 4:30pm but I could of done with a little more time to get a few more shots of the minute long running section of my music video. However, once I start to edit the shots when I get back to school I might be able to re-use shots in different ways. I got as many angles as I could of Lyndon and Rachel running to make the sequence as interesting as possible for the audience to watch as it is for quite a long time. Overall the day went really well. Although the shots were supposed to be from one angle I decided to do a variety of angles and distances to makes sure I have plenty of good shots to choose from when it comes down to editing it all together. I have thanked Lyndon and Rachel for braving the cold weather in t-shirts and dresses and for them being great to work with.
I have no more filming days planned with Lyndon and Rachel, but if I need to re-do or have more shots I will let them know and we an arrange a date.

Weather.

After looking at the weather again today to verify that it is not going to rain tomorrow, I was pleased to see the weather looks really good for filming tomorrow in Roos.

This is the weather for tomorrow (Friday 28th October 2011) and has a description of: "A chilly start, with early mist or fog patches clearing during the morning to leave the rest of the day dry and bright, with plenty of sunshine". This made my mind up of starting filming at about 11am as by then the mist should of cleared and the sunshine should be out. The wind is very little so makes the day even better for filming as too much wind could of spoiled the shots. However, the temperature on Friday looks to be very cold and my characters are in dresses and t-shirts etc, so I have told them to bring spare jackets and trousers to put on in between filming so they are comfortable as possible. I am determined to make the most of tomorrows weather as I have a lot of filming today so I want to keep filming all day up until the sun sets which by the bbc it should set at 5:34pm. So we have approximately 6 hours to film the rest of the shots I need from my story board.

Filming tomorrow.

I have informed Lyndon and Rachel that we will be filming in Roos tomorrow (Friday 28th October 2011). The scenes I will be filming are the scenes set in the forest. This location will not change so once we're in the wooded area we can pretty much stay there to film the rest of the shots.
I have had the camera on charge and is now ready in the case along with the tripod and tape, costumes and make up. I will be bringing a large torch with me as the natural light may not be very bright with the tree canopy blocking out some sun. The artificial light will enhance the features I wish the frame to focus on and will give better lighting for the characters, so the audience will be able to see better.
I have told the two characters I want to start filming by 11am tomorrow, therefore Rachel who lives in Roos can be getting ready whilst me and Lyndon are travelling to her house. Lyndon will do his hair at Rachels for ease. I have given Rachel a brief on how I would like her hair styled (curly) so she can do it herself as she will be better styling her own hair than me, but I will be there to give direction. As her hair is originally short (shoulder length) I have asked her to put in her hair extensions and curl them. I will do the make up for Rachel so I have got what I want which is subtle and fresh for everyday with a bit of mascara and foundation if needed. For Lyndon I have asked him to do his own hair as it looks good when he does it. I like the style he has so I have decided to keep it the same and give him some control. If there are any adjustments I think should be made I will alter them myself.

Another filming day.

I have arranged another filming day for this Friday (Friday 28th October 2011), but this time in Roos. Roos has the perfect wooded area and from some research I have found out that it is a public place so I am free to use it without permission from the owner. I chose Friday because of the weather conditions. Thursdays weather has a description of: "A generally cloudy and rather cool day with some outbreaks of rain. The rain mostly light but some heavier bursts are possible, especially during the afternoon.", also Thursday has a maximum of 15 mph which has put me off filming on Thursday as the rain and wind will disrupt the filming and will lead to getting hardly anything done. With Fridays weather having a description of: "Dry with sunny spells on Friday after morning mist/fog clears." This is a description of weather I like to see as I know the weather is not going to be brilliant with it being autumn so this will be great. The wind is a maximum of 5 mph so is looking like it will be a really great day on Friday to hopefully finish the rest of the filming.

I have informed Lyndon and Rachel that we are filming on this day and as Rachel lives in Roos, we will begin at her house getting everything we need and costumes changes. Me and Lyndon will be getting the bus to Roos in the morning at 9:03am from Withernsea which is the earliest time. I chose this time because the next bus to Roos leaves Withernsea at 11:03am which will not be ideal for getting on as Fridays filming will be longer than today as I have more shots to take. The 9:03am bus arrives in Roos at 9:13am so me and Lyndon will go straight to Rachels house, again I have asked them both to do their hair and make up as it was today so there isn't no differences between the days. I want to start filming by 11:00am at the latest as the sun will be quite bright then and it gives us about 6 hours to film the rest of the shots in as by bbc weather the sun sets at 5:34pm on Friday which doesn't give us much daylight time, me and Lyndon will therefore be picked up by my mum after we have finished to take us back to Withernsea and we will drop Lyndon off at home. This is to make great use of the time as the last bus from Roos to Withernsea is at 4:43pm and this time is not appropriate and we will be too rushed and therefore may result in bad shots. On Friday I will take a big torch with me as in wooded areas the trees can block out the natural sun light so artificial light may be needed.

Filming day completed.

After hair and make up finished at 12:30 today we then set off to the location at the cliffs and beach. We first went to the beach to do those scenes first as there was a really nice sand bank in the sea. We went onto it and filmed the shots I needed there. It took a few shots for Lyndon and Rachel to get used to acting on the camera as they giggled a bit, which was expected. However, the giggling together brought out some really nice shots. The lighting was really good and we only used natural lighting from the sun as there was no need for artificial lighting. When going up to the cliffs I found a nice spot for them to sit at. The shot I tried to get was difficult as I had to keep the camera still for quite a long time for the shot I wanted. Even though I practiced with the camera, being at an awkward height and not moving it proved difficult but i'm sure I have a good shot within the shots I got. I hope it pulls off for this shots as I only know when I come to edit it as it is two shots faded together but Lyndon is in different positions. Overall the day went really well. Although the shots were supposed to be from one angle I decided to do a variety of angles and distances to makes sure I have plenty of good shots to choose from when it comes down to editing it all together. I have thanked Lyndon and Rachel for braving the cold weather in shorts and dresses and for them being great to work with.

Weather.

I have researched what the weather is going to be like today for filming from: http://news.bbc.co.uk/weather/forecast/328?area=Withernsea. The website clearly states: "A mostly fine and dry day with a good deal of sunshine for most parts, but a few heavy showers may develop by the afternoon, especially over hills in the west." From this I have concluded that the weather is going to be nice today as we are not on the hills or in the west. To back this up I have taken from the website an image of what the days weather should be like:

This concludes that the weather is suitable for filming. However, the wind looks quite strong between 14 and 15 mph. I'm hoping that the weather doesn't effect the final image of the shots. Also the temperature is a little chilly with at the highest being 12 degrees. I have my characters in summery clothing such as shorts and a vest for the beach scene, but these scenes are really short so I will work as quickly as possible to ensure they are comfortable.

Shot list.

The shot list I have created earlier has helped me to make sure I have lots of different shots to make my music varied and interesting to watch. I have used the shot list during and after story boarding and has helped me dramatically. I have filled in the shot list now and I will take it with me to the filming to help me in making decisions when it comes to filming parts of the music video I haven't story boarded.
Here is the shot list so far:

Shot list

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Story boarding finished.

I have finished all of my story boarding now. I haven't story boarded the whole song as the change in music would be hard to story board. I have the idea what I want for that section which is a chase (boy chasing girl) and the location which is in the forest. The shots will be made up when we are there experimenting with different angles and positioning of characters to make a great sequence when it comes to editing it all together. I have doubled some sections up so I can film the same part in a few different ways and choose the best one whilst editing, so I have a whole range of shots to choose from.

Costumes.

Male costumes:

This outfit is worn in two different scenes including the cliff scene and the main forest scenes. The audience won't be able to tell they are the same because I want it to be in black and white, also you mainly see the back of the top in the cliff scene. They polo shirt is casual like 30% of the public wanted but it is also quite smart to go on a date in, which will help the audience understand what is going on in that shot. Also, the polo shirt is dark like 17% of the public wanted and the darkness represents a smartness which will be portrayed. For the forest scenes this outfit will be ideal as the dark colors will look good against the females light colored outfit. The audience made my decision as from my ideas circling spider diagram they chose for the male costume to be casual and dark with casual having 30% of the public vote and dark having 17% of the public vote. However, I believe that this outfit fits into all of the describing words for the males outfit (casual, masculine, layered, dark and stylish) which means the public should be happy with the choice of outfit for the male artist. I initially didn't want his clothing to be branded, so I chose a great pair of jeans without a logo and the polo shirt has a small logo on which I don't mind as it is discrete.

This outfit is for the beach scene and has been put together as the top and the bottom go together with looking summery and casual. The darkness of the shorts will be a great contrast between the females outfit (dark and light). The light colored polo shirt represents summer but together with the dark shorts, the outfit still has the public in consideration as 17% of them wanted the male to be in dark clothing.

Female costumes:

This dress is going to what Rachel will be wearing for the forest scenes. This dress is white and therefore I have taken into consideration my audience feedback with 27% of the public chose that the females attire should be light colors which I have done. Also 33% of the public wanted the females attire to be floaty and the long sleeves are see transparent and are quite floaty, the dress is not body con and is more A-line therefore all together with the dress and the sleeves floats nicely in the wind. This dress represents all of the words on my ideas circling spider diagram (light, simple, feminine, floaty and stylish) so is perfect for Rachel.

This outfit is cute and young and looks great together for the cliff scene. As the cliff scene is supposed to be like a date. This outfit looks like a day time going out outfit and therefore is perfect for the cliff scene.

This outfit is for the beach scene as I thought that denim shorts represent summer and the top is floral so is summery also. The two put together makes a great beach wear outfit.

All of the females costumes show off her legs, which means my music video will fit in with 'Laura Mulveys' theory, where females are viewed through the males perspective. Showing off her legs will bring more attraction to my music video if 'Laura Mulveys' theory is correct.

Filming tomorrow.

I have informed Lyndon and Rachel that we will be filming in Withernsea tomorrow (Wednesday 26th October 2011). The scenes I will be filming are the scenes in the past and all the ones which don't include the forest as I am filming those sections another day as travelling to the location is involved for the forest scenes.
I have had the camera on charge and is now ready in the case along with the tripod and tape, costumes and make up. The props include sandals, and a blanket which are ready with the rest of the stuff I will be taking with us.
I have told the two characters I want to start filming by 12pm tomorrow therefore Rachel who lives in a different village (Roos) is staying at my house ready to shoot in the morning. This will be easier as we can get up and get her hair and make up done. I have given Rachel a brief on how I would like her hair styled (curly) so she can do it herself as she will be better styling her own hair than me, but I am here to give direction. As her hair is originally short (shoulder length) I have asked her to bring her hair extensions to put in and curl. I will do the make up for Rachel so I have got what I want which is subtle and fresh for everyday with a bit of mascara and foundation if needed. For Lyndon I have asked him to do his own hair as it looks good when he does it. I like the style he has so I have decided to keep it the same and give him some control. If there are any adjustments I think should be made I will alter them myself.

I am now ready for tomorrow.

Filming equipment.

I have retrieved a camera and a tripod from school on Friday 21st October 2011. I am going to use the equipment tomorrow (Monday 24th October 2011) to see what is possible and to practice moving the camera in a fluid motion. With using panning and tracking shots etc in my story boarding I will practice the best ways to do those shots. Also using the camera functions I will practice zooming in and out in a fluid motion also. This practicing will conclude to better shots when it comes to film my music video and will make the video look much better and more professional.

Artists name chosen.

The question I sent out had 20 responses from the public. These responses have concluded to the artists name choice.

Artist name questionnaire 2

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It was a majority vote out of two names and the preferred name is 'Alex Steel', this is now the name for my alternative rock artist. Although I liked both names I really like what the audience have chosen. I have heard some of the reasons for not choosing 'Alex Cooper' which is that the name pronounced sounds like another rock artist 'Alice Cooper'. Some of the audience didn't like the similarity in names with the same genre of music so that was their reason for choosing Alex Steel. I think Alex Steel is a memorable name and looks good written down. The first and last name go together really well which is vital for a memorable name. I believe that this name is very 'rock' genre. The last name 'Steel' is quite hard like the genre of music the artist is singing. From researching other great rock artists names I found out that all of the artists have an original name instead of a stage name which is more 'RnB' and pop music. I believe Alex Steel will look and sound great for the audience and the artist.

Filming days.

I have now found out off of Megan that she is filing me on Tuesday 25th October 2011. This means I have the opportunity to do my filming on the other days. I have looked at the weather from this address: http://news.bbc.co.uk/weather/forecast/328?area=Withernsea . It has showed me the weather forecast for this weekend (22nd and 23rd October 2011) and revealed that it will be cloudy with sunny intervals but with a strong wind of up to 24 miles per hour. This could cause problems so I will have to pick which shots I do carefully if I decide to film on those days.

Filming week.

I have been chosen by one of my fellow class mates (Megan West) to be in her music video and I have accepted. This will change my filming week, which is next week slightly. I have decided to work around Megan as she has specific days that she can't do for her being busy. As I am free all week to film it shouldn't be a problem, so once I get the days sorted from Megan I will be able to properly organise filming days for the half term week which is my filming week.

Alternative rock research.

I have decided to research existing music videos for songs which are in the alternative rock genre. My main aim of this is to focus on the camera angles, stories, costumes and the way they present the video to gather inspiration for my own music video. I have researched some alternative rock songs such as Avril Lavigne's 'When you're gone', Chritina Perri's 'Jar of hearts' and Greenday's 'Last of the American girls'. These alternative rock artists are the same style as my '42' song so I should have lots of inspiration and get my imagination flowing as I feel my story boarding is getting slightly boring. This research will help me to develop my music video to a high standard.

Alternative rock research

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Story boarding problem.

Story boarding for my music video was going well until I got to 1 minute 35 seconds of the song. This is were the beat picks up and there are no lyrics until 2 minutes 44 seconds. This is a huge time gap of 1 minute 9 seconds which I originally was going to fill with a chase. However, for this length of time the chase will get boring, even with a wide variety of camera angles and movements. I still want to include a chase as the main scenario for this section of the song but include shots of different times of the couples past. I think that researching existing alternative rock songs music videos will definitely help with using my imagination more and thinkng of what to include in this section.

Filming week check list.

During half term (21st October 2011 to 28th October 2011) I want to get most or even all of my filming for my music video done. In order for me to do all of this I need to have what I need for that week, so I have made a checklist so i know what I have and what I need to get.

- Costumes - Yes
- Make up - Yes
- Locations - No
- Lighting equipment - Yes
- Actors - Yes
- Lyrics - Yes

It seems that I have locations to sort out. I have every location sorted except for the forest, however I have found the perfect place to shoot the forest scenes in my music video. Unfortunately that wooded area is personal property so I would have to gain permission from the owners before I use it. I am going to look at a few others before I make my final decision as to where to shoot the forest scenes.

Final artist name questionnaire.

This questionnaire is going to be sent out to the public to make the final decision on the name for my alternative rock artist. The two names which the audience are choosing between have already been decided by the public, so now which ever has the most votes will be the final name for my alternative rock artist.

Artist name questionnaire 2

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Lyrics given to artist.

I have now emailed Lyndon Jackets the lyrics and a link to Coldplays 42 song on YouTube and asked him to learn them with the song to help. I asked him to learn them for next week as that is when I want to start filming for my music video. I assured him that there will be a copy of the lyrics on the day for him to look at in case he forgets some of the lines so he feels less under pressure and more relaxed. He has accepted to learn the lyrics to the song and assured me that he will learn them ready for next week.

Artist name questionnaire feedback.

Since I sent out this questionnaire I have managed to gain 14 peoples feedback.

Artist name questionnaire

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From this feedback I have discovered that the first name for my artist is Alex, which is obviously the most popular name. However, two names on the last name list has the same number of votes which are the most popular names. These names are Cooper and Steel. Both names I really like but again I will be asking my audience if he should be called Alex Cooper or Alex Steel.

Official casting.

I have known throughout planning and researching for my music video that I want a male and a female to be in the video. I want the male to be the artist so therefore the main feature of the video and the female to be the character who helps tell the story within the music video. I have the perfect people in mind for the two characters which are Lyndon Jackets (male) and Rachel Thompson (female). I have asked each person if they would be in my music video and within that conversation I told them what I want and the approximate time I need from them. They both agreed to be in my music video and have accepted the responsibility.

Changes.

Unfortunately, when story boarding my music video I have come to realize that the narrative within the video is not obviously going to make sense to the audience. Therefore, I have decided to change the reason why the male and the female have been separated. Initially it was because of her death but after thorough thinking I have become to realize that it will be hard to pull off. Now, the reason for the separation is still death, however, the male thinks that she (his lover) has died but by the end of the song he finds her still alive. This will make it easier for me to show this narrative in the video. This change has made no effect on previous planning or research so the rest of story boarding should go smoothly from now.

Organisation.

Being organised is the key to success when making my music video. I have set a goal for myself to be finished story boarding before half term (21st October 2011) as this is when I want to focus on the filming. The half term will enable me to use the day light effectively as it is coming closer to winter the day light is getting shorter which can cause problems so I need to create a time schedule to stick to during that time. I hope to film everything I need during half term so I can get on with editing when we come back to school on the 31st October 2011 to make sure I do have all the shots I want and need for my music video.

My main focus is now getting all my story boarding completed and with possibilities with sections I can't decide on.

Story boarding.

Part of the planning criteria was to story board 30-60 seconds of the music video. I have completed this, however I think for my own benefit I should story board the whole of the song. This will enable me to get the shots I want easier. I will be able to number each shot in order like we did with the preliminary task and section them off into categories of shots, which means I should save so much time in getting the shots I want when they are needed. Being this organized is a huge benefit for when it comes to filming. I will have to pick which shots should be done first such as the easiest locations and easiest camera shots to then move onto the harder shots. Another benefit is so I know which shots I want which is very important for me as it could get very confusing later on in the filming and editing processes.

To do list.

Within planning my music video I have gained criteria I have to meet to complete my work.

I have:
- Researched into existing music videos, styles and theories.
- Researched into brand identity – video, digi pack, website, how the three texts work together.
- Chosen a song, annotated lyrics.
- Had the lyrics annotated by audience.
- Created mood boards.
- Had my audience circle their mood board choices.

I have to:
- Story board music video – 30-60 seconds - In the process of completion.
- Include detailed camera and character movements.
- Create own brand identity – colors, setting, costume.

Coldplay analysis.

I have researched some of Coldplay’s music videos and watched them carefully to pick out if there is anything about the videos that make them stand out and is a brand identity of Coldplay. I have found that Coldplay like to include moving graffiti animations in the background of the music videos. ‘Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall’ and ‘Strawberry String’ is examples of the animated backgrounds. This quality has made the videos stand out on their own as it is very creative and interesting to watch. I like the idea of this, however I would not be able to use all my creativity in the time I have to make it stand out as original as 2 videos have already done this.

Also Coldplay always have eccentric backgrounds in their music videos with Coldplay’s ‘Christmas Lights’ is having a small staged performance video with a colorful moving backdrop of multiple quirky shapes. This is different and like the moving animated backgrounds it tells a story which the audience can decipher for their own interpretation. With ‘Violet Hill’ the first shots are establishing shots of scenery mostly of hills which link with the title of the song. The scenery shot at the beginning is used throughout the music video but has made the video into an abstract music video. However, the music video is also a performance video as the performing parts of the video are done in the courtyard/front of a symmetrical building. These backgrounds make the video fun to view and the spacing of the characters in the foreground complement the background to its fullest. I want to use interesting backgrounds in my music video including the beach and a forest. I like the establishing shots at the beginning of the ‘Violet Hill’ video so I will take that into consideration when storyboarding my music video.

Coldplay’s music videos are all quirky in their own way; one which stood out for me was ‘Viva La Vida’ which through editing has incorporated an old painted picture quality to the video throughout by adding delicate crease marks over the frame to mimic an old painting. To complement this, the coloring of the background and costumes where authentic looking using brown shades to match a timeless quality. I think this is very original, however this effect will not suit the music video I am looking to create.

The camera angles of Coldplay’s music videos are rather unique and interesting so keeps the audience interested in watching the video. The camera techniques are far from boring for example in Coldplay’s ‘Lovers In Japan’ at 1:18 there is a panorama shot where the camera stays in one spot and turns around going upside down keeping with a close up of the lead singer. This shot will keep the audience watching the video as it is interesting and rare to see and is quite unexpected within the video. Also in ‘Strawberry Swing’ the first shot of the music video which lasts the entire song has interesting camera angles. There is a panorama shot of the lead singer of the band with him laid down and an upside down worms eye view close up of him slowly turns so he is the right way up in the frame. Also 'Yellow', another Coldplay song has no cuts in it. It is very unusual and the music video is like he is telling us a story as he is just walking towards the camera as the camera moves backwards singing the lyrics with eye contact with the camera. It is set on a beach wearing casual attire. Although he is walking towards the camera at the same speed as the camera moves backwards it still involves different shots such as an establishing shot at the beginning of the music video before he comes into frame. There is also a long shot as he walks into frame and as he stops and the camera carries on moving it then turns into a long shot there. Otherwise the majority of the music video is set as a mid shot. I found this video interesting to watch as I felt he was telling me something through the song by his eye contact and simple surroundings. I really enjoyed watching this video, however to do something like this in my music video I would have to include loads of different angles and distances within that one long shot, and could prove difficult. I think having cuts in my music video will be easier for me to get a wider range of shots to a higher standard. The no cuts in the music video is rarely seen as I have only seen one other which has this quality which is ‘The Lazy Song’ by Bruno Mars. In Coldplay’s music video the motions of the camera are all slow and have a steady movement to them which match the pace of the song. So instead of cutting when the pace changes the camera moves to the pace of the music, which is an interesting factor. I think it would be hard to incorporate this camera shot into my music video as I want it to be a narrative video, whereas the no cutting works for a performance video more. A routine would have to be learnt by the characters in the music video and would be so easy to mess up and would take a while to perfect. Especially with the many different locations I would like to use within my music video it will not work. I would like to include interesting camera techniques within my music video to link mine with the rest of Coldplay’s music videos. This is why I have made a shot list to keep track of what type of shots I can use and if I have used them or not yet, which is very useful when storyboarding my music video.

Overall, Coldplay have a strong edge of quirkiness within their music videos and I will try to link my music videos with the rest, however I need to make it my own and use my own creativity. I have taken the videos into consideration and my imagination has been flowing when watching the videos for my own music video.

Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall:
http://www.muzu.tv/gb/coldplay/every-teardrop-is-a-waterfall-music-video/1004220/
Strawberry Swing:
http://www.muzu.tv/gb/coldplay/strawberry-swing-music-video/278715/
Christmas Lights:
http://www.muzu.tv/gb/coldplay/christmas-lights-music-video/852545/
Violet Hill:
http://www.muzu.tv/gb/coldplay/violet-hill-music-video/49843/
Viva La Vida:
http://www.muzu.tv/gb/coldplay/viva-la-vida-music-video/146244/
Lovers in Japan:
http://www.muzu.tv/gb/coldplay/lovers-in-japan-music-video/144772/
Yellow:
http://www.muzu.tv/gb/coldplay/yellow-music-video/149362/

Artist name questionnaire.

Here is my artist name questionnaire which I have created and now sent out to the audience for them to complete. The feedback will influence the name of the alternative rock artist to make it connect with the audience more.

Artist name questionnaire

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Internet problem.

I am having terrible problems with the internet connection at school. This is stopping me from uploading my work to my blog. Also I am now wanting to carry on with my story boarding for my music video but I can't because the internet connection won't work for the websites I need which is grooveshark.com to listen to the song I am making my music video for. Although those websites do not work I am finding that blogger.com is working which is quite strange, so I am thinking it is only certain websites which arn't working on the school computers. This is frustrating as I need to use the internet a lot in my media work for my blog, which is stopping me from doing as much work as possible at school so instead I have to do it at home where there isn't any physical help from the teacher if I need it.

Artist name questionnaire.

I have created a quedtionnaire for my audience to complete which enables them to choose the name for my alternative rock artist. I thought about ways I could go about this but I came up with a way I think is the best in getting a more thorough responce from the audience. I have made two sets of names, one being the first names and two being the last name of the artist. This will let the audience chose each name seperatly so I get an idea of which ones they like. Once I have the feedback I will choose the most popular name from each and put them together to make a full name, however, if the names do not go together I will choose the second most popular and so on.

Problem!
I have encountered a problem with the computers at school which is not letting me upload my questionnaire on to slideshare.net website. This is stopping me from uploading the converted word document onto my blog so I will have to upload this at home tonight where slideshare should work.

Artists name choices.

After researching rock artists names and used my own initiative I have come up with a few names which I am happy to call my artist, so it is now up to my audience to pick the artists name which they like the most.

- Vince Rock
- Max a Million
- David Cooper
- Oscar Steel
- Alex Manson
- Eddie Manson
- Craig Lee

After witnessing all the names I have decided on I am not sure whether I am going about the name choosing in the right way. Maybe i could have a list of first names and a list of last names and get the audience to match up which they think works best.
This is the other option:

First Name:
- Vince
- David
- Oscar
- Alex
- Eddie
- Craig

Last name:
- Rock
- Cooper
- Steel
- Manson
- Lee

I have decided to go with the second option of the audience picking separately the first name and last name of the artist to make up the artists full name.

Story boarding.

Now I have started to story board my music video I have come to realize my creativity and imagination. I had so many ideas from myself and my audience that I didn't know what to do. However, I shall story board each way I want to do things in my video and when it comes to filming I will film both ways too. This will enable me, whilst editing, to pick which shots I find are most suitable and look the best for my music video. When it comes to it, I shall ask my audience as well what they think should happen at the points I can not decide on. This will make sure I have involved my audiences input to give them what they want to see and a great finished product.

Artists name research.

I have decided to research male rock star names to help generate the name for my male rock star. I have researched the greatest/well known rock artists names and here are a few:
- Freddie Mercury.
- Jackie Wilson.
- Jess Buckley.
- Sam Cooke.
- Elvis Presley.
- Tim Buckley.

These names are the artists real names and not stage names. I think my male artist will have a real name instead of a stage name to match the rock star style. My male character who is playing the role of the male solo artist has a real name of Lyndon Jackets but I don't think that this has a rock star vibe to it so I am trying to think of a name which is realistic but has an rock edge to it too.

Artists name.

I now need to give the artist a name. Although the song '42' was made by a band, it is sung by just one person. Therefore I want the artist to be a solo artist instead of a band. This will not effect the audience in any way or confuse them as you can only hear one person singing throughout the whole of the song. I will get the audience help me chose the name for the male artist. First of all I shall pick a few names which I think best represent the artist and his music. I will then send those names out to the audience and get them to pick the best one that they think is catchy and matches the genre of music the artist produces. I will have control over the names that are on the list, however it is up to the audience to pick the one that is right for them. The name with the highest votes will be the name for the artist.

Story boarding.

Now I have completed all my tasks set except for one. I am now going to start story boarding my music video and all my research and planning will be going into this to make sure I have created it to the best of my ability. The story board will help me a lot when it comes down to start filming footage for my music video as I will know what I want instead of thinking on the spot.

My goal is to story board the whole of my music video so i definitely know what i am doing on recording days. When doing the preliminary task on the George Michael video 'Faith' we story boarded the whole song and numbered the shots in order then split them up into different piles of the same shot e.g. close up, long shot, etc. I will take inspiration from the preliminary task in which I will section the shots to make it easier and quicker for me when shooting footage.

Once I have finished story boarding and happy with the results I will let my characters look at the shots in order and explain to them what I want them to do so they have a good idea on what I am looking for, for when we begin to shoot the footage for the music video.

Costumes.

Male:
Jeans, darkish top and dark trainers – This main costume will contrast with the females’ main costume therefore look interesting for the audience to watch. This casual look was chosen by my audience as 30% chose to circle ‘casual’ to describe the males costume on my spider diagram. Also question 5 on my questionnaire revealed that the audience wanted to see the male character in dark, stylish clothes, quite masculine.

Jeans, nice top and shoes – This costume is for one of the flash backs. I want to include a flash back of when the male and female characters went out together so going out clothes would be needed for this scene.

Shorts, light top and flip flops – This costume is for a flash back on the beach, it is a romantic scene and this costume represents a warm day at the beach. The beach look will enable me to experiment with the character going in the sea and walking along the water’s edge.


Female:
Floaty dress and sandals – For the majority of the video I want the female character to be dressed in a feminine floaty dress with simple sandals on. The audience feedback from question 6 of my questionnaire suggested floaty to match her personality and 33% circled ‘floaty’ to describe the females costume on my spider diagram.

Jeans, nude heels and a feminine top – This costume is for one of the flash backs. I want to include a flash back of when they went out together so going out clothes would be need for this.

Shorts, vest and sandals – This costume is for a flash back on the beach, it is a romantic scene and shorts will enable me to experiment with them both walking through the shallow sea together and having fun on the beach.

Locations/settings.

Forest – I imagine the video set in a wooded area with lots of trees as I would like to involve a chase through the trees so I can use some interesting camera work. Also 30% (highest) of my audience agreed that a forest would be the best place to set the music video.

Beach – 20% of my audience voted for the beach to be incorporated into the music video and I would like to include flash backs of when the couple were in ‘love’ so a beach scene would look great and romantic and would include a different atmosphere and emotion than to the forest.

Graveyard – Although 20% of the audience said they imagine the location to be set at a graveyard I don’t want a lot of footage to be set in a graveyard because of the story I want to put across in my music video. However, I still may use bits of a graveyard when story boarding.

Cliff edge - I think a cliff edge would look great as one of the flash backs to create a romantic atmosphere between the characters. Also 13% of my audience would like the video to include a setting of a cliff in.

Story line.

Love - After first hearing the song, I pictured a love story. And after annotating the lyrics it came clear to me that love is the storyline I am going to stick with through my music video. The audience gave me inspiration when they gave me feedback through my lyrics questionnaire and they made the final decision for me.
From my own imagination and my audience feedback I have concluded a story line.

A male and female who was in ‘love’ then the female died and he can’t stop thinking about her. He is living in a dream world where he is with her in his head and is reliving their past as he is chasing her. The female starts to run from him as a ghost to let him go back to reality but he catches up with her, but he then realises that he has to let her go and he needs to go back to reality.

Research - audience analysis.

I asked my audience to listen to Coldplays '42' song and tell me what they pictured in their mind when they listened to it.

The responses i got:
- Lost a loved one.
- Natural disaster.
- Living in his head.
- He can see dead people.
- Chasing.
- Scary.
- Ere atmosphere.
- Dark.
- Though someone had died but they didn't.

These responses i gathered will have a great impact on my ideas. I am now going to use all my preliminary research to come up with a conclusion on everything to do with my music video.

Record company permission email.

The record labels for Coldplay are Parlophone, EMI, Capitol and Fierce Panda.
I sent Parlophone an e-mail to get permission to use the Coldplays' '42' song in my music video.



'Dear Keith Wozencroft,

I am a student at a school on the East Coast of Yorkshire and part of my A-Level Media Coursework is to produce a music video, CD cover and website for a band or artist. After considering several options, I have decided on the song '42' by the band Coldplay.

I would like to request permission to use this track for my coursework. Please rest assured that the track will only be used for academic purposes and no commercial gain will be sought from it.

I would appreciate a swift response from you either way on this issue, in order that I may continue with my coursework.

Many thanks,
Stacey Hartley.'

To do list.

After retrieving the deadline for our next task i need to plan what I need to do to reach the deadline in time.

I have:
- Chosen a song.
- Uploaded and annotated lyrics with mine and the audiences ideas.
- I have done some preliminary research.

I haven't:
- Written/e-mailed the record company for permission to use the song.
- Done some story boarding.
- Completed enough preliminary research.

What i plan to do:
- I shall write/e-mail the record company for permission to use the song to get that easy bit out of the way.
- I shall do some more preliminary research by letting my audience listen to the song and get their views on what they imagine the video to look like.
- Then I will start to story board my music video using my own imagination and audience feedback.

Deadline.

Today is the deadline for our research task into brand identity. Now that is complete it is time to move on to our next task and deadline.

We break up for half term on Friday 21st October, and by then, we need to be ready to start our filming.
So, by then (October 21st), I need to have completed the following things:

- chosen a song.
- written/e-mailed the record company for permission to use the song.
- completed some primary audience research (asking your audience about ideas for the song, locations, costume choices, storylines, images etc).
- uploaded and annotated the lyrics with your ideas.
- some storyboarding - perhaps the first 10-15 shots.

Problems with websites.

We have been experiencing issues with certain websites we need to use, but our IT department are working on changing access rights so that we can use the sites we need. I am doing all my work in good time however, sometimes I can not load them up to my blog so I have to do a lot of work at home.

Mood board feedback.

I sent out the 3 mood boards out to the general public and not my target audience to get different views. I discovered that the public chose mood board number 3 as their option as they thought all the images on that mood board will fit with the genre of the song and music video i want to make.

Moodboard

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The public said that these images reflect the genre and style I want to get across to the audience. The clothes on this mood board represent the style of the characters I would like to portray in my music video. I think the settings as well on here have a big impact on the genre and style and these will set an ere atmosphere which will look interesting for the audience to watch.

Mood boards.

Here are the 3 mood boards i created to send out to my target audience for them to choose which one they think suits the rock/pop genre of my music video best. The images on the mood boards will contribute to my ideas of what will be included in my music video.

Moodboard 1

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Moodboard 2

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Moodboard

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Questionnaire feedback.

When i collected in the questionnaires i sent out to 30 members of the public i gathered the information and put the most occurring and most relevant ones on the feedback sheet below in red. These answers have given me loads of ideas and themes to think about they will definitely help with decision making and deciding what is the best approach to my music video.

Questionnaire completed

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Questionnaire.

I sent out this questionnaire to retrieve feedback on what the audience are looking for in my music video. These answers will help me with the hard decisions i will have to make soon.

Questionnaire

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Lyrics questionnaire feedback.

I have now collected in all of the questionnaire form i sent out and wrote in red the most occurring answers. This feedback will help me a lot in making decisions on the story line i want to portray for the audience. The gathered information is interesting as i never thought of some of the answers the public have come up with so without this information i wouldn't have as many ideas and themes as i do now.

Lyrics questionnaire

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