New Music Video Idea

For the redraft of my music video, I have decided to go for a music video based around bikes and their movement. This leaves a lot of room for stylisation of the video to fit the song, as well as timing and direction to fit to the beats. Its also a simple, easy to follow idea, which is better for both viewing and creating. Additionally, this type of video means that I don't necessarily have to follow the genre style for the people in it, so it will be easier to find people willing to do the video. An example of this kind of video is 'What's a Girl to do?' by Bat for Lashes.

Final Digipak and Advert

The Music Video Moving Forward

Following the creation of my music video draft, I have decided to completely redo my video for the next draft. The video's location, lighting and feel do not fit the genre or the song. The equipment was also not suitable for the video, as my tripod was too short for the subject, thus leading to some of the framing issues that led, in part, to the failure of the video. Thus, before my next draft, I will need to choose a new song (potentially researching the genre if it differs from the first) and plan for an entirely new video.

Music Video Draft

Storyboard Version 2

Second Draft Idea

For the second version of the video, I have decided to use the disjunctive technique of using a subject that isn't the vocalist to sing it, thus avoiding the issue of not having subjects with the correct stylings. This technique famously started in the video for George Michael's Freedom.
 
To avoid the location, instrument and budgetary problems, I have also decided to put it in the style of coffee scene in Baby Driver, with it being focused on one figure, moving to the music.

I also wish to channel more of Edgar Wright's work, with the snappy direction which matches up the the music, illustrating it perfectly. A brilliant example of which is his video for Mint Royale's Blue Song.

Reasons for Re-Drafting

I have decided that my current video idea isn't going to work. One reason that I have come to this conclusion is the lack of a viable location to shoot on, especially within the school or for a reasonable price. The budgetary constraints also means that instruments would be hard to get a hold of. Another key factor in my conclusion is the lack of people who would fit the style of the genre, which would make the video seem off. Hence, I will be doing a second idea and storyboard of the video.

Draft Digipak and Advert

Album Cover Draft Ideas

The first idea is an illustrated cover, similar to many indie EPs and singles, like Slaves (originally) or The Wytches. However, I feel that this has not translated well to my cover as it looks tacky, partly due to me being unsuccessful in mimicking that kind of style in my doodles.

The second idea is this hyper-stylised image of a hand, giving the illusion of it being bloodied (matching the band name). The style of it also reminds me of some of the Queens of the Stone Age's album covers, in both colouring (similar to Songs for the Deaf and ...Like Clockwork) and the posterized look (Lullabies to Paralyze). Ultimately I prefer this cover as it works better than the illustrated one.

Glasgow Kisses Official Video

 
During the pre-production of my music video, Estrons released their official video for the same song. I personally find this video poor, with it being disjunctive to the themes and lyrics. The lipsyncing is poor as well, with some segments being sung too fast due to breaks being skipped or shortened. The video also slows down during the heavier and faster bits of the song, making the video feel somehow off. Despite this, the video does have some perks, with its beautiful film effect and stylings of the lead singer. Ultimately this video has had no impact on the production of my version, as I personally find it rather poor.

Album/CD Research/Inspiration

Band Name Change

Upon further thought, I have decided to change my band's name. I realised the old name wasn't in genre and thus have changed it from Amaterasu to Bloody Transgression. This name seems to be more fitting for the genre. To match the change, I have also changed the band's twitter handle.

Animatic

Storyboard

Initial Music Video Idea Breakdown

Pitch Presentation

Music Video Pitch from GeorgeGarrity

25 Word Pitch

A punk performance video, with innovative visuals, a powerful song and a snappy synchronised relationship between them. It will leave you stunned, thrilled and amazed.

Indie Punk Moodboard

The Band's Twitter

Album and music video dropping soon! Keep your eyes peeled

— Amaterasu (@AmaterasuBandUK) 7 September 2017

Band Bio

Amaterasu are a four-piece Indie/Punk/Rock band from the Midlands. The band are yet to release an album officially but are well known on the local music scene as a great live band, having several local gigs and even supporting at a larger gig. They have also accumulated a decent following online by posting some of their tracks on YouTube ahead of their upcoming debut album. 

The band was formed whilst they were all still in college, which was only two years ago. The drummer, Jay Cooper, was previously in a college cover band but the other members of Amaterasu had no previous experience with bands prior to its formation. All four members are the same age, 19. The rest of the band is compiled of: Blake Hamilton, the lead guitarist; Leo Powell, the bassist; and the lead singer Jessica Foster. Jess and Jay are both currently focusing on their music careers following leaving school, whilst Blake works part-time in a local supermarket and Leo is a part-time Economics student at Warwick University.

Final Song Choice

Eventually, I chose Glasgow Kisses as my song due to its potential for the interesting visuals which could accompany the music. The powerful female vocals will also be fun to work with, with the part needing to be well cast. Indie Punk is also an interesting genre to play with visually, with its unique look and stylings.

Music Video Shortlist

This shortlist contains five potential songs for my music video:


1) The White Stripes - Cannon

I feel this song has a great drum beat which could be effectively amplified through the video by matching action/events to the beat of the drum, as with some of the music videos from my inspiration. Also, mimicking the bands striking use of red, white and black colours could create a create visual aesthetic.

2)Fizzy Blood - January Sun

This song has lyrics which I believe could be used to create really interesting visuals. The changes in pace throughout the song would also be an interesting concept to work with, as I could visualise the speed up/slow down in a variety of ways.

3)Black Honey - All My Pride
There are many possibilities for the video of this song, I feel it could be used as either a performance video or a narrative and well at both. It has a great rhythm to it which would lend itself well to a video.

4)Estrons - Glasgow Kisses
The song has a lot of potential, with its grungy punk tone and powerful female vocals allowing for the opportunity of a unique video. This could also work as either a performance video or a disjunctive one. Theres also a lot of opportunity for unique visuals to illustrate or amplify the song.

5)Tigercub - Destroy

This song, especially the live version (as shown), would make a really interesting performance video, especially with its slow but heavy sound. The instrumental sections would also be rather interesting to use in the music video.

Music Video Analysis

Music Video Analysis from GeorgeGarrity

Post-Production Preliminary Evaluation

During the post-production of the preliminary, we just needed to edit and export the video. After we got the footage from the two days of recording on to the computers, we sorted through the outakes, mistakes and bloopers to get to the footage that is usable. This footage, we then painstakingly placed in order, trimming sections to get precised timings, following the original video as a guideline. Once the footage was correctly cut up and placed in order, the song could be placed over the footage. After exporting the completed video, we had to find a platform to export it to, eventually choosing Youtube as the suitable medium.

Production Preliminary Evaluation

During the production of our preliminary, a multitude of tasks needed to done in order to successfully achieve the end product. We used the camera to film the video, using a tripod to keep the camera steady as well as at the right level to mimic the original. We also manipulated the lighting, using light boxes, as to mimic the brighter, almost overlit, lighting of the original music video. We also strictly followed the storyboard and word of our director, as to get a tight match to the original, as well as allowing us to more accurately understand these production roles.

Pre-Production Preliminary Evaluation

During the pre-production of the preliminary, we looked at the music video, analysing it frame by frame, as to storyboard it and fully replicate it. As there was a large group of us, the analysis was a lot easier than it could’ve been. The music video we chose was Four Five Seconds by Rihanna featuring Drake and Paul McCartney, which we chose due to its simplicity and the ease at which we could replicate it in a school environment. We also casted our parts, using Ben as Drake, Isabel as Rihanna and Frank as Paul McCartney, due to the fact that they would suit the parts the most, whether due to appearance, personality or interest. We created a prop list of what we needed to get for the music video, including a guitar and the costume elements, such as a denim jacket for Ben.

Preliminary Recreation Task

Preliminary Storyboards

Preliminary Task - Short Film

Music Videos

Performance Videos:

This video has a brilliant use of bright colours and great costuming, which is something that makes it bold and striking, which I would like to replicate in my video.
This video has an interesting use of colour that gives it a unique look, which is something I may want to replicate.




Narrative Videos:


This video has great camerawork, with a lot of great framing and a variety of unique shots, as well as an interesting use of mirrors. This type of ingenuity in cinematography is something I would like to aim for in my video.




This video uses colour uniquely to make it bold, whilst also adding an interesting narrative.
This video masterfully matches the rhythm of the music, creating a wonderful synergy that I would like to recreate in my own video.
This video does really well with the narrative, having it stem from the song itself. If I were to make a narrative video, I would like to create it in this style.

Abstract Videos:




This video has great timing to the rhythm of the song, which is a trait that I like of the video and would like to replicate in my own.

This video is rather repetitive but I like the lighting and use of shadows in it.