Storyboards

Dance Auditions 2

Jodie came to the next auditions so she could teach the choreography to the new dancer. Here's a short clip from the rehearsal.

Actor Release Forms

Dance Auditions

I advertised for dancers for this upcoming music video production and had a huge response. The above video only shows two dancers and myself who helped choreograph as these were the best ones out of the 24 that applied. Next week I am holding another audition for back up dancers and will create another video of their work. In total I want 4 dancers and then the artist will be involved too. Also, this is not the whole dance as I want to find another two before we choreograph more.

I hired out a stage for the auditions as I wanted somewhere spacious and private. For the actual music video, I am going to hire out a professional dance studio.

Thanks to everyone who was involved today.

Song Lyrics

I have decided my song choice and the lyrics are below for me to deconstruct and fully understand what I am going to be doing for each shot. The song is by Ariana Grande, a pop artist who is just starting to break into the industry and therefore isn't well known by everyone!

Beyonce - Best Thing I Never Had (Genre: Pop)

This is a wide angled medium shot of the artist, Beyonce. She is wearing a white bridal lingerie set. Her hair has been styled and her make up done professionally, this is clearly the day of her wedding. The setting is grand with long curtains, cream arm chairs and several flower bouquet's. Beyonce is using direct mode of address, the lyrics at this point 'there was a time', she is beginning to reflect on something. It is conventional for women to wear little clothing in pop videos as she is doing however, she looks classy and appropriate for the storyline. 

 This is the second location and can be used as an establishing shot as we can see she is outside by the sunset. This is a medium close up, Beyonce is centred as she is the most important. The sunset is lighting her from behind and this natural glow is authentic and shows she doesn't need lot of artificial three point lighting to make herself look beautiful. The lyrics here are 'did you expect me to care?' which explains why her neck is crooked and she is staring down the barrel of the lens connecting with the audience. She is wearing her wedding dress here and following the tradition of a white gown to portray the women's innocence.

This is a home video of Beyonce and her prom date when she was younger. Her date is ignoring her and being unkind and the lyrics at this point are 'thank god you blew it, thank god I dodged a bullet, I'm so over you'. The camera is hand held here to highlight that it is home footage, this shot is a medium-long shot and the frame is filled with lots of couples. Before this shot there was a banner saying 'class of '98' and so this and the glittery decorations indicate that this was her prom.

This is one of the following shots and she is now singing 'baby good looking out', this high angle gives her power and it is as if she is shouting it from the highest point she can. This is a long shot and we can see her in her wedding dress, veil and tiara. She is again using direct mode of address telling the audience her story.

 This is a close up of the man putting the ring on Beyonce's finger at their wedding. She has her nails painted to match her dress too, her wedding day seems to be faultless. His watch looks expensive and matches the colour of his cuff links. Both bride and groom look fashionable which is something fans of hers will idolise. You can see the vicar and his bible just blurred in the background, enhancing the wedding.

This is a medium shot of Beyonce and her husband and all of her guests clapping as they walk down the aisle now as husband and wife. By the looks of things most of her guests are in white continuing the traditional colours. Beyonce is smiling at the camera expressing how happy she is now with him rather than with the guy before. The husband is wearing a very smart tailored tuxedo, suiting the occasion. As the ceremony was held outside they have set up chairs and a flowery arch to stand under when exchanging vows.

High School Musical - What Time Is It (Genre: Musical)

This is an extreme close up of the clock in the student's classroom. The scene starts with one chanting 'summer' quietly and then others join in as the clock is on it's last 10 seconds till the school year is over. The ECU enhances how dramatic this scene is and how desperate the students are for it to tick to twelve.

When the red hand reaches twelve the class in unison throw their papers into the air dramatically and cheer loudly. The same boy that started the chant stands on a table and sings 'what time is it' whilst others reply 'summer time'. This is a high angled long shot, a deep enough shot to capture all of the papers in frame. Only one boy is not throwing his papers in the air and that is the lead role who is sat centre ducking. He took this by surprise. There is a lot of red in the classroom which is the same colour as their school logo and used for the basketball team uniforms, cheerleaders, etc. On the other side of the windows you can see the recognisable yellow school bus waiting to take the students home. The setting is a conventional classroom set up with desks and chairs facing the teacher, chalk boards on the walls as well as students work pinned up.

The lead boy sings whilst sat on his desk 'finally summer's here, good to be chilling out, I'm off the clock, the pressure's off and my girl's what its all about', he stands and turns to walk towards her. The fact that he was sitting on his desk is fairly rebellious as this was probably considered disrespectful but as the school year is over there are no more rules for now. This is a two shot, at this point the lead girl is singing whilst the boy turns to face the camera's direction and sings a back up 'yeaah'. She sings she is 'ready for a summer romance', the audience knows they are in a relationship. He is wearing a stripey blue top, blue is associated with being cool, calm and collective. She is wearing white 3/4 trousers with a white shirt and a peach coloured vest underneath. White is associated with innocence.

In the school halls everyone is dancing and celebrating, here a boy starts break dancing in the centre. This is a long shot and we are on the same level as the making us feel involved in the hype. Everyone is wearing bright colours conveying happy and excited emotions.

The girl and boy walking down the red carpeted stairs are brother and sister and also the most popular people in school which is why the other students are getting autographs and pictures with them. This is extremely exaggerated as this doesn't happen in any other schools but everything is emphasized in a musical. The girl here is wearing a red top with gold trousers which is very noticeable and bright. The boy is wearing a pink shirt tucked into blue trousers with a pink cap. He is known for wearing hats throughout the films. The lyrics at this point are 'everybody ready going crazy yeah we're out' whilst the camera tracks backwards and they walk towards us.

There are dance interludes throughout the music video which are very conventional in musicals. Zac, the lead boy is on the basketball team and so him and the rest of his team do a dance with basketballs to mix two things they love; playing sport and dancing. People are stretching the balls out at different heights to create a good visual image. There is a large poster on the left which is supporting 'wildcats' the basketball team. There is suitable mise-en-scene throughout the video.

The popular red colour appears throughout and majorly here proving that the school is very supportive and act as a team. This is a high angled ECU long shot of the school dancing in unison again enhancing the school acting as a whole. The high angle is used to show the vast set and how the students are filling up almost all of it. There are cheerleaders and a marching band on the high levels creating the upbeat music.

The Name.

The original artist for 'You'll Never Know' is called Ariana Grande. I have been thinking of names for my artist and have come up with the following. Also, I have asked twenty females ageing from 14-18 of which is their favourite name and so have marked how many each one received...

First name:

1. Allie                      /
2. Arabella                //
3. Aria
4. Autumn
5. Avery                    /////
6. Bella
7. Gracie                   ///// ///
8. Grace
9. Layla
10. Hayley
11. Natalie                  ////

Surname:

1. Everly                   ///// ///
2. Everett                  ///// /
3. Gracen                 ///
4. Grayson               
5. Madden               //
6. Tilden                   /

I then experimented with the top three names to create a full name for my artist. 

1. Avery Everly        
2. Averly Everett      //
3. Avery Gracen      
4. Gracie Everly
5. Gracie Everett      ///// /////
6. Gracie Gracen
7. Natalie Everly
8. Natalie Everett     ///// /
9. Natalie Gracen     //

It is an unanimous vote that Gracie Everett will be my artist's name. I am happy with this choice as it is the most feminine and flows nicely. I received a few comments over the name 'Gracie Everett' such as, 'that's a great name, very feminine which matches the girly song!' and 'Gracie Everett is very good and a very commercial name to sell!'.

Jay-Z - Black Magic (Genre: Rap)

Before Jay-Z starts rapping there is a montage of clips around a city in America, the shots are of the inside of a subway, a bridge, smoke, a rolls royce and a scene from a film which is referenced to throughout. The song is called Blue Magic which I've quoted from Urban Dictionary is Heroin thats 100% pure and turns blue when you put some chemical to it. It could be smoked because it's pure enough as opposed to injected. Jay-z made a song called "Blue Magic" on his soundtrack "American Gangster" based off the movie. There is a repeated shot of a bubbling liquid on lyrics 'blazed' and 'pot' which connote drugs. The shot above is a high/wide angled medium/close up of the artist. The high angle is used to emphasize the drop from here to the ground connoting power and danger. This is common in rap videos. Jay-Z is wearing a black snapback with black sunglasses and a black jacket. It is conventional to wear sunglasses in rap videos just suggesting an ego and representing a certain look and image which younger boys idolise. The city lights are blurred as our focus is on Jay-Z. He is using direct mode of address and therefore not fully engaging with the audience however, suggesting that the attention shouldn't be on him specifically but for us to really listen to his lyrics. 

This is a close up shot of a large wad of 500 dollar notes. Jay-Z is flicking through the notes showing off his money and 500 is the highest you can have so we can see he leads an expensive life. It is very conventional in rap videos to have an high class lifestyle with expensive cars (rolls royce shown throughout), lots of money and jewellery and sunglasses - even worn at night time just to give off an exclusive look and egotistic life.

This is a centred medium shot, filmed in a studio. The white background is a good location so there are no distractions with sets or props used and the focus is on the artist. I use a studio in my music video. Jay-Z is wearing all black again and the shot has also been edited in black and white. This can be as the lack of colour again makes the audience focus on his lyrics rather than paying attention to colours, co-ordination and outfits. Jay-Z is looking fashionable to which fans will idolise and dress like him.

This is a wide angled two shot. The boy is using direct mode of address connecting with the audience whereas the girl is facing away from the camera with her barely covered body on show. As she is facing away it enhances the stereotype that woman are just objects and seen for the body. Both are continuing the clothing theme of black and white and look fashionable. Another popular convention in rap videos is girls who are wearing next to nothing. This music video is conforming to the conventions.

There were dance interludes in the music video, this is a medium studio shot of a girl dancing to the beat of the song. She is wearing large co-ordinating glasses and an Adidas jacket I think from the recognisable stripes, this is a good product placement for advertising brands in the music videos. The girl looks serious which matched the genre, his rap was not happy and fun it was to the point and snappy. 

Right There - Ariana Grande feat. Big Sean (Genre: Pop)

There is a quick montage of clips before the title of the song appears, they are like a snippet of all of the things to come in the video and hint to the audience that they should continue watching. The video is based on Romeo and Juliet’s story and so this is like a film starting at the beginning so the audience can understand. The background of this shot is pink with a repetitive gold pattern, this matches the writing as well. The black stands out against the bright colours and this contrast is important to show the main themes within the story and the video. The objects are two crosses connoting religion, two love hearts joining together representing Romeo and Juliet. However, there seems to be a flame rising from them, highlighting that their love was forbidden. The hearts are surrounded by a wreath which could portray how they were inseparable. The stars hanging down are not clear to me but, I may find out later in the video. The writing for the artist and featuring artist is in capitals and is easily read, the title of the song is written in swirly writing which is very feminine and can look handwritten. The writing and images are centred so we know where our focus is supposed to be.

This is a wide angled medium shot; the camera has panned around her to this position. We moved from left to right and she turned her head following the camera. This was done so there is enough room to introduce her and her character in this video. The same writing has been used. Ariana is sat on a very smart, red and gold bench which has the same pattern as in the above screenshot. The walls are a light pink with smart wallpaper and a picture behind her. The room looks elegant which suits what she is wearing and indicates that the video is going to be very posh and expensive. She is wearing a light pink ball dress which begins as a corset and bursts out, this connote that this video was set many years before when this was the style. She is holding a matching fan which again was common in the era. Ariana has started doing what I believe is called a vibrato which is beginning the song.

The camera is tracking sideways alongside Big Sean who's character is the priest in this music video. This is a wide angled medium shot which also works as an establishing shot. Establishing shot's are used to tell the audience where the characters are, there hasn't been a shot of the church however, because of the recognisable stained glass windows, archway, candles and benches you can tell this is inside a church. The camera is far back in order to frame all of the setting. Sean is half way up the screen which shows how large the church, ultimately enhancing it's holiness. It is ironic that his name is Big Sean and yet he looks so small in comparison to the church. The camera is tracking behind the archway and this movement into blackness works as a clean transition into the next scene. Cuts are used before and after this shot as it is a sharp transition and flows well with the pace of the music. The lighting is low key; most the light is coming through the windows so Sean is almost like a silhouette, suggesting that he is not the most significant person in this music video. Before the first archway the lighting is a dark pink/red and after the archway it is blue which morphs into pink. Blue and pink are stereotypical colours for a boy and girl, which are also the genders for who is getting married in the Romeo and Juliet story. The colours also co-ordinate with the stained glass windows. Big Sean is wearing a black suit and white shirt and later we see that he is holding some religious beads, supporting his character.

I would put this as a low angled long shot of Ariana but, a medium shot in general as the guests are only half way up in shot. This is a low angle to emphasize how large the building is and to exaggerate Grande's importance as she is bigger than us. Ariana is walking down the stairs on the lyric 'you should know' and in this shot to the beat she flicks her fan upwards and opens it on the beat of the song. It then cuts to the next shot, following the quick pace of the song. The mise-en-scene is very grand, there is a; marble staircase, black wooden banister with black metal and gold detailing, extremley high ceilings, large hall - the perfect place to host a huge party as she is doing. Grande is wearing the same outfit as before, her guests are wearing masks so we know this is a mascarade ball. There are waiters serving drinks and the balloons suggest it is an important event. Following the story of R&J, the capulets host a large, expensive party and this is where she meets Romeo Montague. The lighting is brightest on Grande and she is the only one coming down the stairs because she is the main focus.

This is a wide angled medium shot, Grande is centred again as this is her music video and she is therefore the most significant. The dancers in front and behind are symmetrical, this looks well rehearsed and as it is perfectly timed it is pleasant to watch. Instead of a mask Grande has a fan, as well as the girls kneeling in front. Everybody is smartly dressed which suits the scenery. 

This is a low and wide angled medium shot of Big Sean in the church. In front of him are many candles, displayed so the smaller ones are centred therefore not blocking him. Candles are common in churches and religious places and so by having these it enhances the set. Behind the featuring rapper are large stained glass windows with wooden decoration around it. Sean is centred as he is the most significant and the low angle makes him look superior and also heightens the holiness. The edges of the shot are dark and it looks like there is a circle of light embracing Sean, emphasizing his power. He is wearing a white shirt, similar to a priest's outfit however his outfit must relate to his personal style as well. 

This is a low and wide angled long shot where the camera is tracking forwards behind Patrick/Romeo. By bringing the camera forward the audience is now being involved. Here in the shot we can see more balloons, UV palm trees and again a grand setting with stone pillars and a huge balcony - relating back to Juliet's balcony from the story. Upstairs the lighting is blue and downstairs it is pink, these are the stereotypical boy/girl colours however, the two are in the wrong positions. Maybe it is suggesting that there is no difference between them as they were meant to be together, or it's breaking the stereotype? It is unconventional that the woman is physically above the man but this is still going along with the Romeo and Juliet storyline. The Capulet's held the party which the R Montague went to uninvited and met J.

This is one of the final shots of the music video and ends with Romeo and Juliet finally being together. This is a two shot and a close up. The two side profiles are looking very intimate. The light is shining between them and reflecting onto the water which is giving a little light, enhancing the intimacy. Grande is wearing earrings and a ring almost like she has to have some fashion item on show as we can't see her swimwear. This is very common in a pop music video to have outfit changes.

The Goodwin Theory

Andrew Goodwin released a book containing his music theory. He thinks that they have seven characteristics:

1. Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics

Goodwin recognised that genres of music have certain traits in which were common throughout the majority of music videos. For example, Rock videos tend to have live footage from stage performances. 

     2.  A relationship between the lyrics and visuals

He noticed a similarity/diverse contrast in music videos which engages the audience. For example in Jay Z's 99 problems the lyrics and visuals work together to give a better performance. 

    

     3.  A relationship between the music and visuals

The visuals in the music video may be edited to match the pace of the song. Natasha Bedingfield 'these words' is a good example.

    4.  The demands of the record label will include the need for lots of close ups in music videos

Primarily with women it is important  that they are featured a lot within the music videos, this is seen as selling your artist. It is mostly with women because they can be shown with sexual connotations - relating to how stereotypes label women as objects. Britney Spears 'Womanizer' can be used as example.

    5.  Artists can develop to be idols that is used within their work

It was noted that artists can have a repetitive action used within their music videos in order to individualise them and gain more views and therefore popularity. The JLS band members tend to lift their shirts up a lot revealing their bodies. 

    6.  Frequent Direct Mode of Address

Direct mode of address is used to engage the audience and break the fourth wall between the artist and us, therefore connecting with us. Jennifer Lopez - 'I'm into you' is an excellent example. 

   7.  Often intertextual reference

Finally Goodwin identified that sometimes within music videos the lyrics or visuals will be highlighting or referencing something else. Madonna's 'material girl' was inspired by Marilyn Monroe's 'Diamond's are a girl's best friend' from the film Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953)

These pointers have proved very helpful and I look forward to involving them in my work. 

ACDC - Highway to Hell (Genre: Rock)

This is the opening shot of the music video, we are introduced to a large wrecking ball held by a crane above the stage. There are loud creaks and the audience whilst waiting for ACDC to come on stage are wondering about the possible interruption as the ball is about to break off the crane. This is a medium shot, the ball is not centred so we can see the crane behind it holding on to it. There is a spotlight on the ball so the audience knows where to look.

The ball then drops down at creates a massive explosion which begins the concert. This is a wide angled long shot so you can see the vast stage and explosion. The crowd are cheering at the lead guitarist rises up from the ground. This video is footage from a live show, this is very common and conventional in Rock genres. The surrounding lighting on the cranes is red which is associated with danger. Also, the title of this song is Highway to Hell where 'hell' is known for being a pit of fire. 

This is a high angled extreme long shot, this has been used to show the vast amount of people at the concert. The stage looks larger than life and again there is a continued lighting theme of red, relating to the title of the song. Judging from this shot I think the stadium is topless which means their loud music can be heard in the surrounding areas so other people can hear how good they sound and will buy tickets to their show. Due to the amount of people there too it reduces the heat built up.

The lead guitarist, Angus Young is topless and wearing the famous school boy shorts. He is known for his signature school boy outfit from the suggestion of his sister. This is a medium shot of Young, the light is shining on his back creating a glow around him emphasizing his power when beginning the song 'Highway to Hell'.There is also a blue smoke around Young, blue is associated with calmness and stability, the opposite of this song and genre.

This is a long shot from the crowd as if we are there in person. This is a point of view (POV) and we can see the lights, TV screen and just make out the members of the band. Everyone is jumping and the atmosphere is good.

Location Shots

 

La Roux - Bulletproof (Genre: Electronic)

The camera begins on the ground level and tilts up to reveal the black strips on the floor growing in size and creating squares. These animated strips will be created in the editing suite using CGI (computer generated imagery). The camera rises upwards to a bright light above the ‘La Roux’ sign. This then cuts to the next shot as the pace of the music is fast and so the editing as to match the tempo. The lighting is low key and the sign of the band’s name is in darkness. This is because the song has just started and everything is ‘waking up’. There are a lot of shapes in this animated setting. Everything is defined and precise which could imply that their music is specifically how they wanted it and so this makes it special for the audience.

This is a long shot of the singer sat down in the centre of the shot, showing that she is the most important thing throughout this video and so the focus in on her. The music is playing however, she hasn’t started singing yet and so her head is turned away from the camera. The camera is zooming in towards her and then it cuts to a medium shot –still zooming in- and then cuts again to a still close up to which she turns to the camera and starts singing. The mise en scene looks similar to the above shot and it could be that she is sat inside the ‘A’. There are shapes on the ground which are random and imply that they will be used later in the video and so it will become clear to the audience. The lighting is high key and there is a red back light which is producing a light glow. Red is associated with love and passion but considering the song title is ‘bulletproof’ it could connote pain and blood. However, because she is supposedly not affected by the bullets maybe everything is painless and there is no visible blood injury. Her outfit is unique; the zebra bomber jacket is quite masculine and portrays that she is a tom boy. This theory is enhanced from her high top trainers and short hair which is stereotypically a boy’s haircut.

This is a close up and she is using direct mode of address which connects the audience to the artist, making them feel involved. La Roux is not conventionally attractive which separates her from modern, pop, female artists. There is an obvious use of make up and the colours used match the colour of her hair. She is wearing a gold chain necklace which again is something conventionally masculine and highlights how unique she is. This could also show how unique and original her music is which makes it special and a privilege for the audience to listen to. The white background stops there being any distractions and the audience can see this is almost certainly shot in a studio. I can see above her left shoulder the corner of a white chair which has been used so you can barely see it against the background.

This is the same shot as the opening, except this time the set is bright and colourful. There is a colour scheme used where there’s three repetitive colours; pastel green, yellow and pastel orange (similar to her hair and make up). The bright, lively colours portray her music and match the tempo of the song. This shot begins as a pan and turns to face the front of the artist and then tracks backwards and she is walking towards the camera. Before this shot there is a close up and you can see she has different make up on. Everything is the same except she has green eye shadow all over her eyelids and going into her eyebrows. A change in costume or make up is very conventional in a pop music video. La Roux’s genre is Alternative/Pop.

This shot is hard to define as the singer is made to look like a giant as the scenery is small and there is a tiny version of her, back centre. This mise en scene links to the title of the song ‘bulletproof’ and how she is powerful and has a high status above everyone else and so she is physically bigger and more powerful. At this point the lyrics of the song are ‘I won’t let you turn around and tell me now I’m much too proud; all you do is fill me up with doubt’. The little version of La Roux is singing and it is almost as if she is leaving that part of her behind. The lyrics are suggesting that she is sick of this person’s behaviour and is becoming the bigger person; physically and mentally.

This is a long shot of the singer walking towards the camera using direct mode of address. This once again involves the audience and you feel like you are with her which is special and an honour for the audience. The setting is done by a green screen (chroma key) and allows the editors to transport La Roux anywhere and this makes the video more exciting. She has had an outfit change and is wearing jeans and a different top. This is conventional in a pop music video. The genre of this song is pop/electronic.

The objects dropping from the ceiling never hit the artist, representing physically that she is 'bulletproof' and even though they are not bullets she is untouchable. There has been another outfit change, conforming to the convention and the set change also conforms to this. The bright colours used for the objects stand out and are noticable. From this it highlights that she is bulletproof. This is a still long shot, initially everything is at a normal pace and after the objects drop the video has been edited to a slow motion. This makes everything very dramatic and intense. The camera is still because if it was panning or tilting it would make the shot too busy with the props moving.

The target audience for this song is 15-25 year olds, female and male.