Planning of Music Video:- Storyboard, Timeline, Shooting Schedule and Analysis Table

Planning is considered a vital part in preparing a music video, though it may be considered time consuming it's has proven to be very helpful as it not only allowed us to manage our time efficiently, but take steps that are not unnecessary or inefficient. 

Storyboard:

Our process of planning came in different stages, the first stage is the storyboard and this is where we put our ideas of what our music video would look like on a piece of paper. This is our primitive idea. 

The first scene is of Central London. The camera will be panning from the London Eye to Big Ben, setting the scene, before the intro music is played.

After panning the camera will tilt down to the sea which will be glistening against the sunlight. To make a smooth transition to the next scene we was going to dissolve the scene.

This scene is of the main artist who is skating his way to the skate park. Were focusing on just filming his legs to hide his identity of the character a little longer. An extreme-close up is used here.

The scene then cuts to the main artist at the skate park and he's singing the first verse of the song. This would be a wide shot to allow skateboarders to be seen in the background adding a sense of realism. 

Another cut is used to show skateboarders skating, however the main artist will still be singing the song. We thought this was appropriate as using alot of cuts will allow the music video to be upbeat and more exciting for the audience. 

The next scene is then returned to the main artist singing but its a close-up shot of him singing to give the audience a sense of connection with the artist. 

The scene is the cut again to the skateboarders skating and in the background the song is still playing. 

Here it the side view of the main artist singing, this allows the audience to see other members of the group and this is where the scene disappears and the chorus begins.

This scene is of the group members that were shown in the previous scene singing together in the chorus. 

There is a cut and a close-up used of each of the group members singing the chorus. This again was done to engage the audience and give an insight of what the characters are feeling.

Another cut is used and the scene shows the rapper (the supporting artist) with the group members that were previously singing the chorus. He would move forward and start singing his verse.  

The scene then cuts a shot of just the rapper singing alone in a different location. Again this is done to engage the audience with the new character presented. 

The scene is the cut again to the skateboarders. In the background the rapper is still heard singing his verse. 

The scene is then cut to a skateboarder skating with the general public having a negative viewpoint on them. This scene will show this by writing their negative viewpoints; Aggressive, Drug addicts, Alcohol abuse and Waste of space. An extreme close-up of the character that represents the general public will be used to show the audience their expression of disgust. 

The scene is then cut back to the rapper singing his verse and when he reaches the line "think i really care that i miss biology" a bubble would appear and within the bubble would have another scene of him ripping a biology paper that he had done for getting a U grade.

The scene then cuts to the main artist skating and while he's skating he drops and this is done in the eye of the general public.

The scene cuts instantly to a two shot of the general public. The scene would shows their concern towards the skateboarder and this would be the beginning of their change in view towards skateboarders in which they had previously.

The scene then cuts to the main artist getting up after his drop and continuing to skate showing determination and his passion towards skating.

The scene cuts again to the general public and this time their viewpoints have changed and this time their ideologies have changed. This is an important part of the music video as the music video is about changing peoples minds on skateboarders again in reference to OPM meaning 'Opening People's Mind'.  

The scene is cut again to everybody singing the chorus in unison. The scene would occasionally be cut to skateboarders skating.







Now that we had all the ideas on paper, we placed all the still drawings together animated them and added music in the background to make a music video from it. This was very helpful as it really did help in our decisions of how our music video would turn out.

The second stage of our planning was to add or remove any idea that we didn't like in the animated music video or we thought would work well. We made quite a few changes and here is our final idea of how our music video is supposed to be in much more detail.

This scene is of the main artist who is skating his way to the skate park. Were focusing on just filming his legs to hide his identity of the character a little longer. An extreme-close up shot is used here

The scene then cuts to the main artist getting off his skateboard and walking to the skate park. Here his identity is revealed. A mid-shot is used here. Its also an establishing shot as the setting is being revealed.

The scene then cuts to the main artist singing the first verse. A mid-shot is  used here and this is where the audience are now able to see the main artist properly for the first time.

A cut is used and the scene presents skateboarders skating. Whilst this is being presented the main artist will still be singing in the background.

Another cut is used and the main artist is seen singing the song in a different location. This keeps the music video lively and entertaining for the audience.

The scene then cuts again to the main artist still singing but from the side. This is to add a variety of angles of the main artist.

There is another cut of a low angle of the main artist singing. in the same location though.

The scene then cuts to four characters, three are part of the group and one of them would include the supporting artist. This is done to add more characters to the music video as the main character is shown mostly and this could bore the audience.

A close up is used on the main artist who is still seen singing his part.

The scene then cuts with both the main artist and supporting artist singing the chorus together. A two shot is used here.

A pan of the London eye and Big Ben is added here to establish the scenery and location. However, the main and supporting artists are heard singing in the background.

The scene then cuts back to the main and supporting artists singing together however a low angel shot is used here.

The scene cuts to skateboarders skating at the skate park whilst the music is being played in th background.

A side view is shown of one of the members that was shown earlier singing a part of the chorus.

The scene then goes back to the skateboarders skating whilst the music is being played in the background.

Another cut is used to a point of view shot of the supporting artist spray painting the bands name on a wall. Still the music is being played in the background.

A low angle shot is used here of two of the group members that were presented earlier and the supporting artist.

Again the scene goes back to the skateboarders skating.

Another cut back to the three characters singing with a low angle shot.

Here the supporting artist is seen rapping alone in a different location.

Another cut of the supporting artist singing in a different location.

The scene goes back to the first setting in which the supporting artist is seen rapping his part.

Here is where we are presented with the point of view of the general public on skateboarders. A mid-shot of them is used here.

This scene is where the main artist is skating but drops and hurts himself in the process. This highlights the risks that skateboarders go through to do a sport or hobby that they enjoy.

This is where the perpective of the general public change after witnessing the drop. This vital as it reflects the band's name 'OPM' meaning 'Opening People's Minds' and this is what our music video is about.

Here the general public have gone down to the skate park to see if the main artist is okay. A two shot is used here.

This is the scene where negative opinions on skateboarders change. Here the main artist is getting up after being injured from a drop and continuing his skating showing his passion and determination.

Here is cut of the side view of the group member. This cut will be done three times as we would like all three of our members to be on screen alone.

Here is the chorus in which everyone sings alone too. Its consists of the supporting artist and the group members.

 Another cut to skateboarders.

 Another panning of Central London is used, again establish the setting in which the music video is taking place.

Skateboarders are seen skateboarding again. This is how our music video is going to end. It beings with skateboarding and will end in the same method.

This is the final idea and we used this in our music video. Now that we had all the ideas on paper, we placed all the still drawings together animated them and added music in the background to make a music video from it. This was very helpful as it really did help in our decisions of how our music video would turn out. 

Timeline:

The second stage of our planning process was making a timeline. This has been an excellent way on focusing on the structure of our music video. 

Analysis Table: 

Another stage in our planning focuses solemnly on the musical side of the music video. Here we counted the beats in each verse, chorus, bridge and middle 8 and stated any particular parts in the music video that we thought we could add any obvious links from the lyrics to the music video. 

Shooting schedule:

This planning stage has been extremely helpful for us as we were able to record the scenes that we will or have recorded. This enabled us to manage our time efficiently. 

The Gadget Show - Har Mar Superstar : Don't Ask Don't Tell (Jason's Musi...

The Gadget Show - Fightstar: The English Way (Suzi's Music Video) 1080p HD

The Gadget Show - Music Video Task

The Gadget Show is a British television series focusing on technology and is broadcast on Channel 5.

the Team of presenters include Suzi Perry, Jason Bradbury, Jon Bentley, Ortis Deley and Pollyanna Woodward and we see them embark on their mission to try and test the latest gadgets that are flooding today’s market. They give you advice on what's worth spending your money on and testing out different equipment so you don't have to.

Each week Monday at 20:00 GMT on Channel 5, the show previews and reviews the latest gadgets, and broadcasts the latest technology news. The show is aimed at giving the mass consumer an insight into the gadget world and in addition, it aims to give enough information for the more "geeky" or knowledgeable audience, but still making it accessible to the more casual viewer. The show has featured Blu-ray Discs, video cameras, MP3 players and other technologies. A segment showing viewers how to get the most out of their technology is also often included along with a competition to win anything from £5,000 to £30,000 worth of new gadgets. Each series usually contains a special episode focusing on a particular technology conference or expo. Past conferences include CeBIT and The Next Fest.

In one memorable episode hosts Suzi Perry and Jason Bradbury take up the challenge of making their own music videos in order to test-drive different gadgets. Jason goes DIY, using consumer gear to make his promo for Har Mar Superstar. Meanwhile Suzy takes the rofessional route, using a pro crew and kit for her video for Fightstar – and getting words of wisdom from Black Dog Films director Price James along the way. Heres a link from the Gadget Show blog on channel 5 which shows the task in detail. http://fwd.channel5.com/gadget-show/blog/episode-3-music-video-challenge

We thought this could be potentially helpful for when we plan, film and edit our own music video which shares some of the same elements as Jason Bradbury's music video. Obviously we wanted to focus more on Jason's video as he was using consumer technology, gadgets available from the high street at high street prices. Price James, who's done videos for Florence and the Machine and Friendly Fire says the video needs to be, "Visually bold, technically delivered and the delivery of the artist." We wanted to keep these points in mind when shooting our own video. We were also looking at some of the issues Jason had like, lighting, steady cameras and the no show of the star in the video! Jason used his own rollerblades to create a sense of movement and attached his camera to planks of wood to get more height. These are tricks we could easily use in our own music video to give it more dimensions.

Preview of a Selection of our Music Video!

This clip is just an example of what we wanted to use in our music video. This is to give you an idea of some of the footage we got when filming in the public skatepark in Ladbroke Grove. It shows a young volunteer who agreed to be a part of our music video by showing off a few of his skills. He carves the bowl before attempting a grind but not quite landing it. We panned the camera to follow the skateboarder which creates a sense of movement and energy which reflects the skateboarders fun loving personality in which we are trying to portray. 

Audience Research: Questionnaire Analysis

Questionnaire Results

What age category do you fall under?

Having a different range of ages adds diversity to the responses and therefore allowing our results to be more valid and reliable (as there will be contrast in the taste of music). Since most of our questions were given out to a vast number of students from the same secondary school which consists of 12-18 year old students, it was only reasonable to question them as this is the time when they become aware of the latest music and artists and start to become involved to the media and watch music videos. 

What is your gender?

Having an equal number of participants from each sex adds reliability and fairness to the responses that we receive. This is useful as it was a factor that we weren't able to control with our survey on the blog (found on the left hand side) as people from different ages, race, sex where able to complete the survey. Having more control will enable us to seethe responses that are given more accurately. 

Q1. What genre of music do you listen to the most?

In the beginning we weren't sure of what music genre we would use for our music video and after conducted a survey on the blog (which is found on the left hand side of the blog) and this questionnaire we had a clearer idea. On the blog the survey had presented a very close range of responses on their favorite music genre and this was due to the reason that everybody from all ages and from different countries around the world were able to access this and vote. However from the questionnaire which we had asked students and adults to complete showed something really different and we concluded that the the music genre in which our people are exposed to are Pop, HipHop, and R'n'B. So we had decide to take into account both surveys and conclude that are music genre would be a hybrid including a mixture of the different genres that were selected, therefore it would please everyone and attract an audience and allow them to like our music video.  

Q2. How many music videos, on average do you listen to in a week?

This question was asked to know the average amount of music videos watched to have an clear idea of how well music videos are doing and whether music videos are important as the track of the music is. As shown from the table and bar chart on the left not many of the participants watch many music videos in a week which may show that music videos are not so important when it comes to advertising the track. However when the results are accumulated together it states the complete opposite showing that a music video are watched by the general public which helps elevate the ratings of the music track, music videos are watched more by the male gender than the female due to music videos being more sexually explicit. Also, from the age category '19 years and over' scored higher than the other age category and this may be due to them having more experience with watching music videos and understanding the notion of music videos to the track of the music.  

      

Q3. On a scale of 1-10, how important is the music video of a track?

This question helped us understand why people had scored highly as music videos are a factor in helping the music track. The music video can help narrate the story that might have not been quite clear in the music track or for various other different reasons such as entertainment. Music videos have become quite different from the last couple of years as more women are presented half naked and an eye candy for  the male gaze which can be compared to earlier music videos. Again male scored highly in this question then the females as of the reasons that were stated. However from the age categories '12-15 years' and '16-18 years' scored much higher than the any other category. Our reasons for this could be to these age categories grew up with music videos that are explicit and therefore helps to promotes the track as the music video is shared on Facebook and other social networking sites adding more awareness to the music video and the track. 

Q4. What type of music video you can relate to the most and what’s the name of the music video?

Music videos send out different messages about life and  relationships and therefore people are able to interpret the same music in many different ways. When we asked this question these were the responses of the sort of music videos that they could relate to the most. The responses were quite interesting as all the participants had the same ideas of what music videos they could relate to the most. The females scored so much higher then the males as they believe that music videos is an art form which is seen in a unique way depending on who you are. However in the age category the '19 years and over' scored much higher than the  other two categories stating the  life experience plays a huge role in being able to relate music videos and their tracks.

Q5. Name your favourite music video?
    

This question was asked to see the different varieties of music genres and tastes that the participants had. However looking at the table above it clearly shows that a majority of the music videos that are presented are either; Pop, HipHop or R'n'B and most of the artists are quite contemporary and/or international stars. If this question was to be placed on the blog where there is easy access then the responses would have been vastly different as they would a variety of participants from various parts of the world and therefore the participants would have a much greater and unique taste insight into the music and music genres.

Q6. Do you think you use music and music videos as a way of escaping the hardships in your own life?

Music and music videos have different uses but the most common is to escape from the hardship of life and just relax and reflect on life in a much calmer and peaceful place in a world of your own. And this understandable as the media presents a world that is threatened by war or natural disasters which adds to the stress which one already has from their own personal life. Nowadays we see more people listening to music everywhere eg on the streets which is complete uprise to a couple years back. There was an equal number of male and female participants who responded to this question however there was a much higher score from the  the age category of '19 years of age and over' as they have had more experience and stress in life.

Q7. Are you the type of person that would buy the latest music related gadget to listen to music?

This was to reveal what sort of individual that the participants are and according to the personality traits table they are categorized. From the age category of '16-18 years' a scored higher stating that they are the most involved with keeping up to date with the latest gadgets such as the i-pod for listening to more music with better quality on the ready, everywhere. Questioning them we found that the older generations are not as fussed with the gadgets and the younger generations are not as knowledgeable with the gadgets as they would like to be.

Q8. How do you usually watch music videos?

This question was to reveal whether the internet plays a huge role in how people watch music videos. Looking at the results on the table and the bar chart, it shows that the famous video sharing website-YouTube is the most successful in allowing participants to watch the latest music videos in a click of a button, this is considered pretty handy for the 21st Century as everything is done and watched through a computer screen and therefore less time is spent on watching TV and this is shown by the results,  where Music Chart Shows were placed second. However, downloading doesn't seem to be something the younger generations do. The results revealed that all ages from both genders usually watch music videos off YouTube, and '16-18 years' and '19 years and over' are much more likely to watch music videos from Music Chart Shows such as MTV. However only '19 years and over' would download to watch a music video which shows that times have changed and the internet and technology has influenced the way in which people watch music videos.  

Q9. How much improved is the promotion of a music video, since the last decade or so?

Music videos usually nowadays come after the track is out and the aniticpation of the music video eg. Love the way you Lie by Rhianna. is quite high so therefore the people have scored highly on this and this is due to the high technology that the music videos use and the male gaze which grab the audiences attention. Music video's in the 18th Century for example wouldn't have been promoted as they are now and this was due to the reason that the promotion of a music video wasn't as huge as it is today and this agreed by the age category of '19 years and over' whom scored the highest as they have witnessed the vast change. 

An interview with a Southbank skateboarder

We interviewed Erick a student who is a keen skateboarder from the South Bank Skating Park. We asked him his views on how the youth are represented in that area and he stated that skateboarders in the past where seen in a negative light, they were treated like terrorists however this negative imagery of skateboarders has died in the recent years. He also stated that this treatment differs depending on where you are in the UK, he states that areas out of London people don't see skateboarding as a hobby as we do here in London and he thinks thats what's great as there are no prejudices about skateboarders.

Erick's inspiration started when he was 8 years old, he moved into a new home and found a skateboard and from there he decided to skateboard, he had then met other skateboarders like himself and thats where it had begun for him.

We finally asked him on his views on other skateboarders in the South Bank Skate park and he said that most of them are great which eliminates the negative imagery that have been imposed by the general public about skateboarders being aggressive and rude.