Casting

I will have a small cast of 4-5 people. The main two characters are naturalistic. The others are abstract characters that appear in the dream sequence.

Cast
Main #1- Matthew Montgomery
Main #2- Natalie Cardall
Extra #1- Me
Extra #2- Rebekah Harrison
Extra #3- Emma Mills

Final Proposal

-Working Title: Hot 'N Cold by Katy Perry

-Channel for Broadcast: MTV Hits, I picked this channel because it was most popular in my survey and supports the pop genre of the song.

-Target Audience: Everyone & anyone, the music video is designed to be ageless and therefore should appeal to a wide audience.


-Genre: The genre of song is pop and the music video is abstract with slight use of narration at the beginning and end.

-Style: The music video will include a lot of effects such as fast motion, quick cuts, changes in colour, split screen and unique camera angles. The final product should therefore be simple but effective.

Role Allocation

As I am working as an individual I shall be adopting all the roles, such as director, writer, cameraperson and editor ect. I am therefore an 'Auteur'. I shall however have many actors to perform and lip sync in the music video.

The Lyrics

Here is the lyrics for 'Hot N' Cold'-

You change your mind
Like a girl changes clothes
Yeah you, PMS
Like a bitch
I would know
And you over think
Always speak
Cryptically
I should know
That you're no good for me

Cause you're hot then you're cold
You're yes then you're no
You're in then you're out
You're up then you're down
You're wrong when it's right
It's black and it's white
We fight, we break up
We kiss, we make up
You, you don't really want to stay, no
You, but you don't really want to go-oh
You're hot then you're cold
You're yes then you're no
You're in and you're out
You're up and you're down

We used to be
Just like twins
So in sync
The same energy
Now's a dead battery
Used to laugh 'bout nothing
Now your plain boring
I should know that you're not gonna change

Cause you're hot then you're cold
You're yes then you're no
You're in then you're out
You're up then you're down
You're wrong when it's right
It's black and it's white
We fight, we break up
We kiss, we make up
You, you don't really want to stay, no
You, but you don't really want to go-oh
You're hot then you're cold
You're yes then you're no
You're in and you're out
You're up and you're down

Someone call the doctor
Got a case of the love bi-polar
Stuck on a roller coaster
Can't get off this ride

You change your mind
Like a girl changes clothes

Cause you're hot then you're cold
You're yes then you're no
You're in then you're out
You're up then you're down
You're wrong when it's right
It's black and it's white
We fight, we break up
We kiss, we make up

Cause you're hot then you're cold
You're yes then you're no
You're in then you're out
You're up then you're down
You're wrong when it's right
It's black and it's white
We fight, we break up
We kiss, we make up
You, you don't really want to stay, no
You, but you don't really want to go-oh
You're hot then you're cold
You're yes then you're no
You're in and you're out
You're up and you're down

The Storyboard

I have choose to do an abstract/narrative music video for Katy Perry's song 'Hot 'N Cold'. I decided to do this because the song is very rhythmic and projects a happy mood. The music video will be lyrically based and therefore express what is being song. I have created a visual storyboard, as seen above, I've done this so I know the order, angle and framing of the shots I want to take. The transitions will be mostly straight cuts as this would match the fast paced tempo of the song.

The basic story throughout the music video is- boy falls to sleep on a park bench while waiting for his friend. He has a very, very strange dream. He then wakes to find his friend has arrived & instead of being mad at her because shes late, he just shrugs it off. Therefore the moral of the story is to not hold unnecessary grudges & to simply enjoy life! =D

Questionnaire Results

I asked a total of 30 people to complete my questionnaire. The gender ratio was 50-50, therefore I got results and views from as many males as females. I also asked various age groups from the youngest being 7, to the oldest being 82. Alternative and pop were the joint favourites for genre of music and MTV Hits came top out of all the music channels. The favoured type of music video was the abstract/artsy type, the least favourite was live performance. Most people watch music videos atleast 5-10 times a week and most watch them on TV. People also like to see dance and a colourful setting in a music video, but hate to see bad lip syncing.

From these results I've decided that my target audience would be between the ages 10-20 and I can now decide what would best suit this type of audience.

Questionnaire

I have created and conducted a questionnaire for the audience interest that surrounds music videos. I have incorporated quantitative and qualitative questioning and asked a wide range of people, so I can gather varied results. This is my questionnarie:

Q1: What is your gender?

Male or Female

Q2: What is your age range?

4-10

11-20

21-30

31-40

41-50

51-60

Over 60

Q3: What is your favorite genre of music?

.................................................................

Q4: What is your favorite music channel?

..................................................................

Q5: What is your favorite type of music video?

Staged Performance/ Live Performance
Narrative
Abstract/Artistic
Other

Q6: How many music videos do you watch a week?

0-4

5-10

11-15

16-20

20+

Q7: How do you watch music videos?

TV

Internet

DVD

Q8: What do you like to see In a music video?

..............................................................................

Q9: What do you not like to see in a music video?

..............................................................................

Q10: What is your favorite music video and why?

...............................................................................

Ideas

I have three idea for my music video, each for different songs. These include:

-Hot N Cold by Katy Perry
-Into Dust by Mazzy Star
-Dominos by The Big Pink

Idea #1:

For Katy Perry's song 'Hot N Cold' I was thinking about having the music video lyrically based. For example when she sings "Your yes then your no" I could have an actor sticking their thumbs up to show "yes" and then down to show "no". The music video will be simple to film, but I will edit it well to keep it visually interesting. The video will be very fast paced and the shots shall be cut short to match the tempo of the song. The music video shall project a happy feel and is a feel good video.

Idea #2:

For Mazzy Star's song 'Into Dust' I was planning to have an abstract music video to support it. The music video shall encompass many world issues such as global warming and pollution, I will show this through the video by having some achieve footage and shots of traffic, litter and crowds. I will also have shots of someone lip syncing throughout, therefore giving it a personal feel.

Idea #3:

For The Big Pink's song 'Dominos' I was planning to have narrative music video, in which a boy has a list of girls he plans to seduce and then leave. An idea for some of the shots is to have a row of girls each falling like dominos, however I will shoot this so they don't actually have to fall. The editing will be blurred and physcedelic, as to represent the twisted nature of the boy.

'Drivin' Me Wild' by Common & Lilly Allen

Common Ft. Lilly Allen - Drivin' Me Wild [NEW]- Watch more Music Videos at Vodpod.

Common has been an american actor and rapper since 1992 and Lilly Allen who is featured in the music video has been an english singer-songwriter since 2005. This music video would be played on most music channels as it is of popular genre. The musc video itself is narrative based as are the lyrics. The meaning of the song is similar to that of Just Jack's 'Stars In Their Eyes', It is about people who try to hard and lose themselves trying to be someone their not.

The video starts with a downward pan shot of the sky and buildings to Lilly Allen, as she stands in the street. The song goes onto tell the story of a women, who shops on Rodeo Drive in Los Angeles which is one of the most expensive shopping districts in the world. Real people and places are continued to be mentioned throughout, such as the 'astronaut lady'. Lisa Nowak (the astronaut lady) was involved in a love triangle causing her to drive 1,000 miles from her home in Houston to Orlando International Airport to kidnap her female rival, wearing a nappy to avoid a toilet break. These real life occurences show the desperation of people who try so hard to make it, when all they needed to do was be themselves.

'Ring The Alarm' Beyonce

Beyonce Knowles has been an active singer-songwriter since 1990. Most music channels support her music as it is very popular. This music video is mostly abstract and the feeling of anger is conveyed strongly throughout. The lyrics would suggest that the song is about someone who has been cheated on and now seeks revenge.

The mise en scene is symbolic of the emotions within the song. The ringing and the red light of an alarm is the first thing you see and hear as the video starts. This gives the music video a sense of urgency and is appropiate for the lyrics and title of the song. Guards holding guns standing in the background gives connotations of entrapment to the piece as they try to stop Beyonce from escaping. There are also shots of Beyonce in a house near the shore, as she paces around the waves crash in the background. This strongly supports the emotional rollercoaster of the video and gives the audience a visual image of how Beyonce is feeling.

'Stars In Their Eyes' by Just Jack

Just Jack has been a famous English musician since 2002. Music channels that would support his music are MTV Base, MTV Two, MTV Hits!, VH1 & TMF. The music video includes the shorter edited version of the song that is three minutes twelve seconds, the real song is almost five minutes. The reason for it being edited hasn't been revealed but I would say it was due to the song being to long and the part of which was cut out included swearing & contrasted with the rest of the piece.

The actual video is more abstract than narrative but could be interepted either way. The meaning within the song is made quite clear, it basically shows that celeb culture isn't all it's cracked up to be. The lyrics explain that the media just use you to make money and couldn't careless if what was wrote were truth or lies. The lyrics also vaguely say that bad news sells more than the good news, therefore the media only focus on your down falls.

The music video uses various close ups and medium close ups of wannabe stars upon a stage as they all compete for fame in an audition. The people are all dressed to the nines and caked in make up, this has connotations of the fakeness that is often associated to the showbiz world.

'Gimme Sympathy' by Metric

Metric is a indie rock band that formed in Canada, Toronto 1998. The band consists of four members the lead singer Emily Haines, lead guitarist James Shaw, bass guitarist Josh Winstead and Joules Scott-Key on drums. Metric have not appeared on any of the general music channels as the band is not yet mainstream. The music video itself is a staged performance by the whole band.

The video is one-shot style and lasts almost four minutes, with band memebers changing their costume and instruments off-screen frequently throughout. The camera uses lots of smooth circling shots to establish a full view of the band and zooms to focus on individuals.

The actual video starts with Emily surrounded with flowers and teddies as she puts on two gloves, just before leaving to go onto the stage. This could be symbolic of her leaving her comfort zone and venturing out into the world. The ending also supports this theory as seven children wearing butterfly outfits come onto screen and run outside into the light.

The song 'Gimme Sympathy' also makes references to The Rolling Stones, The Beatles and a few of they're songs, therefore showing that the memebers of Metric are likely fans of theirs.

Codes & Conventions of Music Videos

I am going to analysis the codes & conventions of four different music videos by various artists. This will include:
-'Gimme Sympathy' by Metric
-'Stars In Their Eyes' by Just Jack
-'Ring The Alarm' by Beyonce
-'Drivin' Me Wild' by Common & Lilly Allen