MUSIC VIDEO INTENTIONS:

Holly Beaumont

IDEOLOGY (1):My music video is created with the intentions that revolve around sentimental ideology. The reason being due to the fact that I chose to interpret the lyrics in this way due to clear suggestions of this theme within this song. This is shown through the use of lyrics such as:

The fact that the lyrics suggest that they have ‘parted’ portrays elements of loss which I have chosen to interpret within the narrative of my video, as a result of death of a loved one. The fact that the artist is encouraging the idea of going back to the ‘start’ suggests that there is a reason for him experiencing this sadness, which I have chosen to be down to a loved one; his partner.

In conclusion, the message I have interpreted from the lyrics is ‘don’t take loved ones for granted’. The reason being due to the fact that you never know when something you love will be taken from you in an instant; every moment must be cherished.

IDEOLOGY (2):The ideology is portrayed through the narrative which is predominantly based on loss; a topic which can be related to by the majority of people, my video is likely to give an audience a platform to relate to, with leeway which allows them to interpret the message to their own situation; acting as a comforting anecdote.

This common theme also makes it easy to understand with regards to the audience, the complexity is minimal, this is effective in relation to the fact that it is a simple video; enhancing its sentimental value and reinforcing its narrative to an extent which can be shared within the majority of people.

Due to topic of loss being something which is shared to provide comfort, it is likely that it will contribute effectively to the promotional intentions that is predominantly the main objective for making a music video. If this music video is shared both within, and outside of my target audience it will help enhance sales of the song and accentuate the artists image with regards to

REPRESENTATIONS (1):The representations that I intended for my promotional video to portray revolved around qualities which are often disregarded in today’s music videos. The videos of today’s era represent artists in a light which is self-disrespectful, raunchy and not suitable for a large segment of audiences. This is reinforced through the opinions of theorists such as Laura Mulvey’s take on the ‘male gaze’ and John Burger’s opinion on representations of females; predominantly revolving around a voyeuristic ideology. This was something that I wanted to steer away from; giving my video more of an influential, strong narrative as opposed something to ‘gaze’ at. In relation to gender representations, my aim is to portray the main character in an unbiased light. Despite the fact that the video will be male orientated, with only very subtle features of a female, it will not expose the male in a light that is self degrading or offensive in relation to the way he is perceived throughout the performance.Stereotypically, men in music video are perceived in a light that suggests they are almost gangster-like, possessive regarding women, have lots of money and revolve around materialistic objects. This is an opinion which is supported by theorist Michael Shore, he states that music videos are ‘adolescent male fantasies’ which revolve around ‘speed, power, girls and wealth’. My music video is an attempt to refute this stereotype and begin to change the way men can be perceived within music videos. Tessa Perkins theory of Stereotypes supports my attempt due to the fact that she states ‘stereotypes are not rigid or unchanging’; suggesting that they can be changed; which is what I am attempting to do.

REPRESENTATIONS (2):Stereotypically, men in music video are perceived in a light that suggests they are almost gangster-like, possessive regarding women, have lots of money and revolve around materialistic objects. This is an opinion which is supported by theorist Michael Shore, he states that music videos are ‘adolescent male fantasies’ which revolve around ‘speed, power, girls and wealth’. This is the exact way that I view music videos, and is something I feel strongly about, hence the more in-depth ideology us in an attempt to adapt these representations positively; as will be portrayed within my video.

My music video is an attempt to refute the negative stereotype revolving both music videos as a whole, and the way men are perceived within them. Tessa Perkins theory of Stereotypes supports my attempt due to the fact that she states ‘stereotypes are not rigid or unchanging’; suggesting that they can be changed; which is what I am attempting to do. This will be achieved through the semiotics working in combination with the sentimental ideology to create a character that is different to the ‘normal male’ that we often see within music videos. His intentions are a lot more sincere regarding the fact that his feeling and thoughts are genuine as opposed to possessive an rather sinister in the existing stereotypes of male artists in todays era.

CONVENTIONAL FEATURES (2):Editing is used standardly, with the majority of shots being straight cuts. Straight cuts are used to give the video a sense of continuity and make it easier for the audience to grasp the narrative when the use of fades are introduced. Fades will be used throughout the video to differentiated between different elements of the narrative and possibly used to flashback between different times, given the narrative more bulk; providing interesting features.

In relation to camera angles, the majority of these will be what we expect to see in a Pop Rock music video, varying from medium shots, to close ups which shows the expression of the artists; conveying their emotions to the audience effectively. And also long shots which are used to establish the location, giving context to the video in relation to the performance aspect.

CONVENTIONAL FEATURES:With regards to conventional features within a music video, the majority of elements I will be including will follow these. The first being the use of fashion in relation to mise-en-scene. After researching typical fashion of a pop/rock artist, I concluded that they are likely to wear mainstream fashion, potentially with a slight ‘edge’ or ‘grunge’ look to them, depending on how much they want to delve into the ‘rock’ aspect of the genre. My main character will follow these conventions to the extent that for the majority of the video he will be dressed in smart attire; that is relevant for the movements of todays fashion world. However, regarding fashion specifics, he will not be following a particular trend. I chose an outfit of this sort as it reflects the ideology and narrative of my video effectively. The main intention of this video is to portray loss, so I feel as though dressing my character in smart, black attire would conform to the conventions of Pop Rock regarding it being mainstream due to it fitting in well with adapted trends, however, it allows me to refute it with regards to the fact it would not be every day attire for a Pop Rock musician although it is seen as relevant due to the context of the video.

Preferred Reading (Stuart Hall)With regards to Stuart Hall’s reception theory. The preferred reading for my music video is as follows.

The video opens to show a singular male, to which as the video progresses we are able to establish that he has lost a loved one; (suggested through the use of both editing and cinematography used to capture the acting which shows this). The video then continues and we are able to conclude that this ‘loved one’ is in fact his present partner, to whom he considers his ‘soulmate’. We are then able to understand that today is the anniversary of her death; one year since the dreaded day, shown through the annotation on his alarm.

The day progresses to show it not going well for the male, everything he does goes wrong and his mind-set is not in the correct place. We then establish that he is going to visit her place of death; shown as he dresses all in black; attire suitable for a funeral, he holds roses and proceeds to the door.

When visiting the site of death, (flashbacks are used to accentuate the clarity of the narrative to the audience) he reminisces on the times they had together, laying the roses at the site, train tracks, he places them gently on the ground. To which he stands in a cross like bodily shape on the tracks, facing an oncoming train. (the clip cuts to black.) Suicide.

The message behind this is to appreciate loved ones and the feelings we have when we lose them, we do not value their love until we cannot appreciate it anymore. We do whatever we can to be reunited with them.

NON-CONVENTIONAL FEATURES:With regards to non- conventional features, my music video will not consist of many, despite the fact that I want my video to be unique and individual, I also don’t want it so be too obscure; this could result in the message becoming ineffective as a result of being overwhelmed with content as an attempt to be massively individual. My video will consist of both standard shots, viewing the main character as the object, however, it will also include POV shots. I decided to use these shots in combination with one another as they allow the audience to emphasise with the main character and see the situation through his eyes. Conveying pure emotions, and also emphasising particular features throughout the video which are likely to be important within it.

POV SHOTSTANDARD MID SHOT

MISE EN SCENE:After carrying out audience research regarding stereotypical elements that my audience expect to see within conventional Pop/Rock music videos, I intend to take this on board regarding its creation.

I was told that props should be used to reinforce the genre of music I am using, this will make it clear to the audience what the roots of the piece, I also do not want to ignore the stigma in which the mise en scene contains as it can be a vital element in portraying the narrative of my promotional piece effectively. With regards to mise en scene, the props will be used discretely in relation to the fact that I want the message of my video to be open to interpretation, however using mise en scene that reinforces my chosen genre and the narrative within it, helps give those who may not necessarily be able to relate to it, some sort of context; they act as suggestive prompts as opposed to obvious messages.

Continuity will be created within my video through the predominant use of straight cuts; locations will be used in a linear format. Regarding editing, fades will be used to provide a ‘flash back’ effect; giving narrative to the video which partly contributes to the video’s continuity within it’s narrative as opposed to visually. The narrative within my video is very much a generic topic, which a wide audience will be avble to relate to Continuity/verisimilitude – real life locations = realistic

The narrative within my video is very much a generic topic, which a wide audience will be able to relate to, making the use of location and props in combination with the abstract values; not necessarily a main priority. However, the location plays a big part in setting the scene of the video, I intend to use an outside location; creating a simplistic effect, this allows me not to overcomplicate the sensitive issue at hand and accentuate the sentimental value in which it contains.

MISE EN SCENE:

EDITINGThe predominant shots that will be used within my promotional music video are straight cuts, this creates a sense of continuity within the video due to its linear sequence, making the narrative of the video a lot clearer. In combination with this, fades will also be used to clearly portray the ‘flashback’ effect that I intend to create; contributing to the clarity of the narrative once again.

To work in combination with the ‘flashback’ effects within my video, I will be using a black & white effect on the clips to make it even easier to differentiate between what is ‘real time’ and what is acting as a ‘flashback’. O thought this would be effective as it caters for not only a younger audience but allows those more experienced to appreciate the narrative of the video.

SOUNDThe sound within my video will be pretty standard in relation to the fact that it will be predominantly that of my chosen song, Coldplay – The Scientist. This will accompany the main body of my video, however, elements of sound will be incorporated within the video to emphasise particular messages or accentuate the importance of a specific part in the video.

Sound effects within the video that I intend to use will be that of an alarm ringing towards the beginning of the video, acting to wake the artist up and proceed with his day. I also intend to use a train horn at the end of a video to accentuate the fact that the artist has been hit by the train; committing suicide.