Character Ideas...

Here are some ideas of what I would like to achieve when choosing a character to appear on my music video. It is important to create a natural look which relates to the lyrics of the music, and so I will look for the following features:

• Tall
• Slim
• Minimulistic make-up e.g. light coloured foundation and a little mascara
• Loose fitting clothing e.g. a thin jacket or wool cardigan
• Need to grasp emotion when being filmed e.g. looking unhappy and upset 

Outdoor Location Ideas...

I can picture the individual walking through a corn field, brushing her hands along the tips of the corn to create a soft and natural theme.

I can also picture a beach location with the girl walking across the sand with the camera filming her footsteps with the camera looking down on her feet as though the camera is filming from her point of view.

Indoor Location Ideas...

As I would like an indoor location to film the girl singing the song, I was thinking to possibly used an enclosed area in a dull, dark room with possibly one window which natural light shines through. This way, the focus is on the individual. Also, this enclosed area would help to build contrast with the outdoor location.

Some Ideas...

Whilst thinking about my music video, I wanted to focus on a contrast. I was thinking that I could use a dark bedroom with one window with a grand chair or a room which is very iscolated. This will help to capture the iscolation of the individual whilst she is singing.

The lighting of the room will be very important. I feel it is neccessary to focus on natural light as the song is very natural and not artificial in any way. I intend to take some photographs of certain settings which will grasp this setting.

When using outdoor settings to contrast with the iscolated room, I feel that the beach and open fields would be good to focus on. That way, the focus is on the individual rather than other people in the background. I intend to focus on one person with no other people in the shots/filming.

Skinny Love- Lyrical meanings

I have researched the lyrical meanings of the song and I have found this information from the website stated below. I felt that the interpretation was good and really described the lyrics well and this helps greatly with the ways in which I can capture emotion.

http://www.songmeanings.net/songs/view/3530822107858868323/

"Skinny Love" is about a broken relationship. The relationship is skinny and doesn't have weight.

The girl was in the relationship because she needed someone to care for her, but it didn't necessarily mean she cared for him, the relationship was indeed skinny in both ways, she cared so much about her ED that it was consuming her and she didn't have time to indulge in the relationship because she was depressed, and depressed people tend to isolate themselves. So she wasn't nourished and neither was the relationship.
He basically described in that quote, the relationship between a person w/ an ED and a person who is in love with that person.

Heres my interpretation of the song,
"Come on skinny love just last the year" Referring to the state the girl was in, she was probably becoming increasingly thin, he was noticing and was wondering if she was gonna even last a year in her condition, He was pleading with her to just hold on a little longer and maybe she can get over her condition.

"Pour a little salt we were never here" He wants her to get over her condition and forget about it, pouring salt on wounds is said to slow the bleeding process down,

"Staring at the sink of blood and crushed veneer" People who suffer from ED's are also well known to self harm, he might have caught her cutting with a piece of veneer, weather its tooth veneer or wood veneer, which are both sharp. Referring back to the salt on the wound, maybe he caught her cutting, said, "Don't worry about it, it never happened, lets move on"

"I tell my love to wreck it all
Cut out all the ropes and let me fall" He wants her to stop, she is dependent on him to keep her alive. He's giving up because he is sick of trying and being around someone who he loves, but who is slowly killing themselves and he doesn't want to stay around and watch, but he feels like he has to so she has to stop so he doesn't feel like this.

"Right in the moment this order's tall" watching and dealing with her ED and depression is too much for him and he doesnt think he can handle it.

"I told you to be patient" he told her that there is a healthy way to lose weight and that she could love herself if she just gave it time,

"I told you to be fine" He wants her to be okay because he thinks she's perfect the way she is but she just couldn't see it, people with ED are obsessed with the idea of the perfect body and they don't care what it takes to get it. He wants her to be normal and fine but she can't because she is diseased with an ED.

"I told you to be balanced" He wants her to eat a balanced diet but she won't eat at all, and he told her but she just won't listen.

"I told you to be kind" people with ED's are overly critical of not only themselves but other people, he wants her to be kind to herself, but she hates everything about herself and often punishes herself by cutting, because she hates her body so much. He told her to stop cutting and learn to love herself but she won't listen.

"In the morning I'll be with you
But it will be a different "kind"" he's going to be there for her still, but he can't continue to be her boyfriend because he's giving up, and he did everything he could but she wouldn't listen.

"I'll be holding all the tickets
And you'll be owning all the fines" He saw and was there through it all, he has the memories with him, but she is the one who is going to be paying for her ED in the long run, cuts, organ failure, death ect.

"Come on skinny love what happened here" Most ED's start out of nowhere, with no known cause, what happened to her to make her this way?

"Suckle on the hope in lite brassiere" when he found her, possibly when she was cutting herself, he might have found her dying, in that case he probably found her in her bra, because people with ED are obsessed with being skinny and small and often get undressed to see where they are at progress wise, she got upset, cut herself and now is laying on the floor dying. He wants her to feed off his hope that she is okay, she is in his arms, like a baby, and he wants her to suckle on his hope...

"Sullen load is full; so slow on the split" The sadness in her finally reached its capacity, it took a while for her to finally "split"

"I told you to be patient
I told you to be fine
I told you to be balanced
I told you to be kind" He told her again and again, she never heard him, she just heard the voices in her head telling her she was worthless and fat.

"Now all your love is wasted?" All the love he had for her is wasted because it never reached her and she never understood it because she didn't even love her self, how could she love him, let alone except his love.

"Then who the hell was I?" If she couldn't love him back then what is he to her?

"Now I'm breaking at the britches" britches means pants, people with ED often cut not only their arms, but their stomachs, and their thighs. She could have cut herself on her legs and he was checking to see if she cut there as well.

"And at the end of all your lines" His heart is breaking because she is talking to him and the things she is saying is so depressing and sad, how she wants to die, and she's no good,

"Who will love you?
Who will fight?
Who will fall far behind?" Who is going to love you in the condition your in, besides himself, she's probably sickly thin and has cuts all over herself, people with and eating disorder often have thin dry hair, when it gets really bad they look bald in places. Who's going to fight to keep you alive? No one besides himself who's been fighting her back the whole time, If he can't keep her alive and put up with this then no one will. She is a lost case, hopeless.

"Come on skinny love" one last plea before he has to move on from this


My my my the whole time is his desperation and astonishment at how bad its gotten.

Skinny Love song lyrics

Come on skinny love just last the year
Pour a little salt we were never here
My, my, my, my, my, my, my, my
Staring at the sink of blood and crushed veneer

I tell my love to wreck it all
Cut out all the ropes and let me fall
My, my, my, my, my, my, my, my
Right in the moment this order's tall

I told you to be patient
I told you to be fine
I told you to be balanced
I told you to be kind
In the morning I'll be with you
But it will be a different "kind"
I'll be holding all the tickets
And you'll be owning all the fines

Come on skinny love what happened here
Suckle on the hope in lite brassiere
My, my, my, my, my, my, my, my
Sullen load is full; so slow on the split

I told you to be patient
I told you to be fine
I told you to be balanced
I told you to be kind
Now all your love is wasted?
Then who the hell was I?
Now I'm breaking at the britches
And at the end of all your lines

Who will love you?
Who will fight?
Who will fall far behind?

Come on skinny love
My, my, my, my, my, my, my, my

http://www.songmeanings.net/songs/view/3530822107858868323/

Song Choice- Initial Ideas

I felt that I could grasp emotion best by re-creating a music video for Skinny Love by Birdy. This song focuses on a natural approach and I hope to create this effect in my music video.

When I think of this song, I think of a focus on senses, especially touch. I visualise hands brushing past grass or corn etc. Also, walking through water might work quite nicely.

As the song is personal to the individual about a broken relationship, a hand print in the sand that is washed away by the sea might represent the fact that the person has disappeared out of her life.

CD Inspirational Texts

I have researched many different CD covers as inspiration for my coursework. The ones on this post really stood out to me.

The above image is for one of Ellie Goulding's albums. I particularly like the natural image which instantly attracts focus. I also like the simplistic font style as well as a natural colour scheme. The cover is also believable and does not represent a false image. When creating CD covers, I think it is essential to match the cover designs with the type of music and artist. Ellie Goulding is a very natural looking female artist with a very distinct voice, this is then reflected within the cover by the use of natural colours such as browns and green. In addition, her facial expressions with her eyes closed and looking to the sky suggest she is seeking nature by looking to the sun. Her hair is also down implying that she is ironically "letting her hair down". All of these factors collectively compliment each other to create a natural theme.

The second CD cover which appealed to me was this one from Adele. I like the black and white theme with a natural image which captures emotion on the cover. Also, the simplistic font type is striking which also captures attention instantly. Adele's facial expressions on the cover imply many different meanings so the audience is instantly intrigued to discover what emotions are shared within the songs on the album. The overall simplistic approach created on this CD cover emphasises how the album is focused on the artist and her emotions within music.

This cover by Muse contrasts to the other two which I have liked. However, I particularly like the use of colour to attract audiences. I also like the way the cover is focused on the name as opposed to a person. On the other hand, the artist would need to be quite well known to attract audiences in this way. As the image used is quite abstract, this suggests that the album is unusual to any other currently on sale. Also, the silhouette of the male looking extremely small implies that the male is alone in a very big colourful world. Furthermore, the audience gets lost within the image on the cover which suggests that we will get lost within the album.

I particularly like this unique album cover by The Killers. I like the unusual image used which create a striking look. Also, it looks good the way dull colours have been used to enhance the text to give a bolder heading. The cover uses a very unique and abstract image of a horse running towards a car which implies to us as the audience that the album will be very unique and different to any other. In addition, the cover is mainly focused on the name of the artist which implies that the band are recognised by millions just by name and not their look.

Inspirational Texts

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNzCDt2eidg&safe=active - This music video of 'Skinny Love' by Birdy really appeals to me. I think it is very successful as it captures the meaning of the song. I particularly like the range of different camera angles and different settings used to create the video. The consistent flowing theme used on the video helps to capture the emotions released within the song and helps to create a natural theme which is something I would really like to create within my video. The way in which all footage is in time with the music helps to create a good connection between artist and audience.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLQl3WQQoQ0&safe=active - This video is 'Someone Like You' by Adele. I like the way in which it is focused on one person and successfuly tells a story. I also like the use of black and white which creates a bolder impression and gives more emotion to the song. This video tells a very detailed story of the meaning of the song. Although you get lost within this clip and feel as though you are included in the story, I feel I would like to create a music video which enables the viewer to construct their own stories of what is happening with the character.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9AFMVMl9qE&safe=active - I quite like this music video of 'Your Song' by Ellie Goulding. It includes many settings which add dimension and depth to the story that is being told throughout the song. Again, the music video focuses on one individual. The character wears everyday clothes and minimal make up which relates to the reader well as she is perceived as a typical woman like any other and not a false model who everyone aspires to be like. She creates a theme which suggests that everyone is equal and all go through similar situations.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&NR=1&v=UAWcs5H-qgQ&safe=active - The music video on this hyperlink is 'The A Team' by Ed Sheeran. This video really captures the story which is being told during the song. The video also uses a black and white effect throughout which creates a modern and imaginative approach. Also, at the end of the video, a sunset is used which is what I was considering to use in my video. Many different camera angles are also used which creates a sense of uncertainty which matches the song. As this unusual confused music video narrative has been created, it may be cleverly created so that viewers focus mainly on the song and lyrics as opposed to the video itself.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8v_4O44sfjM&safe=active - I quite like this unique music video which is 'Jar of Hearts' by Christina Perri. The animations that are added match the name of the song and the misty theme creates a dark and emotional theme. The camera often turns which grasps the confused emotions of the female character. The lyrical dancers also create a good dimension to the video. I feel this video is trying to create what her inside emotions look like and what is going on within her which is quite an unusual theme.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0G3_kG5FFfQ&feature=relmfu&safe=active - I like the way in which contrast is used between past and present in this video. Brighter settings are used in the past and darker settings are used in the present which indicates the relationship has changed for the worse and this maches the lyrics of the song. I quite like this technique and may consider using it in my music video.


Summary of all videos...

All of these videos successfully create emotion and tell stories which match the lyrics expressed in the song. All the characters used are natural and share a normality look which creates a sense of reality and so, can interact with the audiences as people may have been through similar situations. In addition, black and white effects are often used which I particularly like and would consider to use in my music video.

Inspirational Songs

This post contains the links to some Indie songs which I think will complement my coursework:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lT67liGjZhw&safe=active - 'Skinny Love, by Birdy'

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9AFMVMl9qE&safe=active - 'Your Song, by Ellie Goulding'

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdYWuo9OFAw&safe=active - 'Iris, by Goo Goo Dolls'

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-ru2glqXAg&safe=active - 'The Writer, by Ellie Goulding'


These songs appeal to me as emotional songs which would create a successful music video. I will most likely choose one of these songs to base my music video around. I especially like the song 'Skinny Love' by Birdy.

Pitch

The genre of music which I am going to focus on is Indie as this genre is easy listening and often captures emotions throughout the song. Throughout the music video, I will focus on one person (the song artist) and try to create an emotional piece which moves audiences and grasps attention. When filming, I will focus on outdoor settings to create a sense of individuality in large open areas. Areas which I may consider would be beaches and open woodland areas. However, I may minimulistically use indoor areas in filming to create contrast.

In terms of cast, I intend to focus on one person as this will highlight focus from audiences. Also, moments will be easier captured when there is one individual person. When focusing on costume, I will try to create loose fitting casual clothes which are quite natural as this will capture the easy listening theme throughout the task. Also, this type of outfit will match the music genre. I will make sure that make-up is minimulistic to continue with the natural theme. I hope to have a tall teenage girl as my main character.

I will take inspiration from musical artisits such as 'Ellie Goulding' and 'Birdy' as these artists have a similar focus of genre and narrative to their music. During research, I may take inspiration from more artists which may contribute further ideas to my coursework.

When filming, I would like to shoot on a partly cloudy day at approximately early evening. Again, this help to capture emotion and continue with the genre of music. I may consider to use a sun set when filming which may create a good effect.

When creating my print tasks, I hope to create a colour scheme which matches throughout my coursework in order to make the same music album advertisement recognised in different forms of media. I intend to decide on a colour scheme at a later stage after I have carried out further research into similar forms of media.

My target audience will be mainly females aged between 16 and 30. I feel this age group and gender will be appropriate to aim towards as these individuals are often focused on emotions which is something I would like to capture within my video. Teenage girls and young women usually like to listen to soft lyrical songs and so, I aim to match a music video which relates to this theme. In terms of how this will effect my design is I will try to create a soft design with natural colours and flowing lines which capture a natural theme and look quite elegant. I will also use a character in this age group within my music video so that my audience can relate to the model in some way.

Proposal

The brief in which I am going to focus on in this coursework piece is...

 "A promotion package for the release of an album, to include a music promo video, together with two of the following three options:

a website homepage for the band;
a cover for its release as part of a digipak (CD/DVD package);
a magazine advertisement for the digipak (CD/DVD package)."

The type of music that I intend to focus on is Indie. I enjoy listening to this type of music, and so I feel that I could successfully create a promotion package for this type of music genre. As this type of music is quite easy listening, I will try to create a smooth video which matches the lyrics to the song(s) and captures the moments of the song(s).

Reflection on AS Coursework

Overall, I feel that my AS coursework was quite successful. I created a magazine front cover, contents page and double page spread. I enjoyed learning new techniques on Photoshop and using my creativity to improve the look of the magazine. I gained a C grade in my coursework which I was quite pleased with as I very nearly achieved a B grade.

My magazine was based upon Indie music, and so I decided to create an urban look theme for throughout the magazine. I used a basic colour scheme of red, black and white, with splashes of yellow to highlight key information. These colours worked well together and enhanced the look of the magazine to make it unique to any other magazine currently on sale.

During the process, I felt that timing was an issue because I was not aware of the skills required to use Photoshop, therefore, effects that I used were often trial and error which often wasted time in the process. In my A2 coursework, I hope to gain further more advanced skills in Photoshop in order to create better visual pieces of work.