Before I started filming my product I knew that I had to get my ideas onto paper, this is so that I don't forget my ideas and can easily explain them to others before the shoot. I had taken inspiration from the music videos that I had analysed previously. I knew that I wanted to start my music video with a strong narrative following a nerd character through a school. I wanted this to create an emotional connection between the audience and the character. The shots included on the first page are to introduce Fraser's character to the audience and setup the idea for the balaclava. Furthermore I knew that I needed to show physical attack to draw an audience into the narrative and to set an emotional attachment with the idea of conflict. This makes the song have more meaning than just the link to a video game, which would attracted more commercial listeners and viewers.
The problems I have with these scenes is that I want a black and white film noir feel to this. I will include these in the animatic because I want to test the pacing but I may cut them. I want to film these scenes after school however the only problem is that they were meant to take place in the morning. However I'm sure I will be able to solve this by either adapting the story or using lighting to create an early morning atmosphere.
The shot where Fraser's character turns into the rapper is one that I need to test because it is actually a VFX shot. Furthermore it is one of the opening shots to the music video and is essential to setting up the idea that the music takes place within the characters head. In addition to this I wanted to have a free moving camera ('K-Pop' convention) to connote the idea of dream like state. However this is proving harder than I expected because it takes a crane, drone or a glide cam to achieve this. Although I have purchased a glide cam it has proven very tricky for my camera man to use and takes a long time for him to get it right. This has lead to me ultimately having to decide not to use it but it kills the look I wanted. An alternative that I am looking into is a dollytrack and or a wheelchair.
The next shots are also VFX heavy, I want to have an interactive gunshot. I want the VFX to integrate with the music video and help create a surreal dream like mood. I have tested many of these shots because I want to refine them before I release the actual music video. Furthermore the constant change of locations and characters will prove a challenge to get a shooting schedule together. One scene on this page that includes a tricky location is the military vehicle that I have to coordinate with an army reenactment group, which means getting my crew and I to all be there on the same day as them.
The shot on the bottom right is something that I have tested a several times before I do this for the actual product, this is because I have to keep the camera completely still and in the same place in order for the effect to work. I will film the shot twice using someone as reference and I will be once on the left and once on the right then mask the two together in order to create the illusion of a single shot.
I have got the props and costume, which will help build up a mise en scene however the location in these scenes are also very important. For example I want to have short snippets of lyric supported narrative like the scene top right. This is only going to be in the music video for 5 seconds so it's important to have a good location to help with the iconography which ultimately helps push the narrative. Another example is the shot underneath where I want to blow up London. This shot relies heavily on the iconography of London to help the audience understand what is going on in those few seconds. I further wanted to incorporate action scenes in my music video. The POV shot bottom right shows a shotgun going off and flashbangs etc, this is influenced by the lyrics. The storyboard page shows the idea behind this music video: Performance then narrative because there is performance on the left and action on the right.
The shots on this page show the high level of interactivity between the performer and the camera. This is a common convention in K-Pop music videos, which have had a strong impact on the commercial music scene in western music videos. For example in the top right I wanted the camera to use blurred transitions when the camera is hit into the next shot. This level of interactivity is increased further when the camera is sprayed with water. I want the performer to constantly break the fourth wall because it will constantly reinforce the idea that the music video is taking place within the characters head. I also wanted to include scenes, which include intertextual references towards other types of media like what the artist has done in the song. I have achieved this by including a StarWars scene. This is another visual effect that I have practiced twice in order to get the effect right.
I want the camera to often be either a close ups or mid shots because it has to feel very personal to the viewer. The shots where there are two of me will have to be a mid shot or wide shot so I actually can be seen. A lot of these shots are close ups because it relates to the platform that it will be shown on, Youtube. This platform is all about watching your content grow which means that the viewers have a strong emotional connection towards the Youtuber, this is connoted through the use of close ups. I also decided to have a yoga motion as a mini narrative to engage the viewer and keep them entertained.
I want to have an 'X-ray' scene where the skeleton lip syncs to the track, this is because towards the end of the music video I wanted the character to grow in strength and confidence. It further relates to the lyrics of the song to do with x-rays, which will further support the track visually. In addition to this it signifies strength and power for the character.
I will further try and include canted angles like film noir films and rap music videos, these transitions will also be using fire to relate to the rap idea of 'fire' lyrics.
Towards the very end of the video I'm going to use more fire elements and lower angles to give the character more power within the rise pace of the song. Furthermore I will be using a change in costume to relate back to commercial rap therefore playing on stereotypes that are often seen in mainstream media. I am deciding whether to use a mask of Tony Blair on the lyric about Afghanistan. However this may be too controversial for my artist even if he is slightly political.
Finally I will end the video with a low angle to show complete dominance over the rap, then he will walk off.
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