Flatplans of Digipack

1. The outer front panel of this flatplan depicts an image of a girl sitting on the end of the pontoon - this idea originated from an idea for a shot in the actual music video. There would also be text in the top left-hand corner including the artist's name and the song title, in a white font so that it stands out from the background. The outer back panel is an image of the woods, therefore it creates a sense of continuity - following on from the outer front panel. Finally the inner left panel would be a still from the video - the lines of trees in the image would draw the viewer's eyes towards the subject.


2.The outer front panel of this flatplan shows a mid-shot of the girl in the
music video looking out towards the lake. The font would be 'suspended' in the sky on the image therefore it is more easily visible for the viewer. The outer back panel would be a shot from the video, looking through the trees of the wood towarsd the girl - creating a sense of mystery. Finally the inner left panel would be an image of the bottoms of the trees and the grass below showing an interesting element eg. a lone flower, directly symbolising the girl.

3. The final flatplan includes again an image on the outer front panel of the girl standing at the end of the jetty, it symbolises a sort of freedom and release as there is none else around and nothing in close to her e.g. the woods seem far away across the lake. The writing would be layered on top of the image. The outer back panel is an image of a sunset over the lake, symbolising the end of the day and therefore the end of a journey, in terms of our video the end of an engagement/relationship. The inner left panel is the same image as on the outer back panel, this creates a sense of continuity.

Fanbase Research

Research -
We researched John Mayer's target audience by looking at his individual fanbases on Facebook and MySpace.

Below are print screens, showing a selection of his fanbase on social networking sites -

On MySpace he has 470293 friends, the majority being females- therefore our narrative concept for our music video is likely appeal to our target audience -our artist's fans, due to it's intended dreamy, whimsical feel which we think would appeal more to females.

The large number that make up his fanbase is large, it could be said that because of his wide appeal and popularity, the style of our music video is more likely to appeal to the majority rather than, for example an alternative, experimental video format.

His fanbase on Facebook is even larger than on MySpace, at 803,826 (see clearer, cropped image below), confirming the above analysis.

Also four out of the six fans are girls and by looking at their profile images, we can interpret the type of person likely to watch our music video and therefore who we must target it towards.

For example, the fan Grace Potts' picture (see below)connotes a posed image possibly after/before a party of two friends. She seems to be between 17-19 yrs old and has a fun, possibly carefree lifestyle - indicative of our target audience.

Storyboard

1.
We decided to start our video at the end of the narrative. For example, the girl will be sitting on the end of the pontoon and throughout the video the story will unravel and slowly it should become clear to the viewer why the girl is there.
The 3rd -6th sketch relate to the lyrics -"when you're dreaming with a broken heart, the waking up is the hardest part", a close-up will be shown of the girl and boy in bed, then a long shot showing the girl getting out of bed/leaving the boy.

2.
The 9th sketch (see left) showing the landscape and the sun is repeated again in sketch 13, but the shot will show the sun lower down in the sky. For example, each of the shots of the sun will vary to show the sun setting and therefore in at the passing of time, while the girl is running through the woods. Sketches 10-12 show different perspectives and camera angles of the subject/girl to allow the setting (woodland) to be seen and show other aspects of the mise-en-scene, e.g. the bottom of the dress soiled with dirt (sketch 10).

3.
These sketches again begin with the girl running through the woods. Sketches 15 & 16 are flashbacks of earlier in the day or even the evening before. To differentiate between flashbacks and the present we may make the flashbacks black and white, as this medium is normally associated with the past. Sketches 17 & 18 start where the beginning of the video left off (the girl on the pontoon) - now the viewer should understand what happened before to cause the girl to be there.

4.
These two sketches show the ring that she throws into the lake. The last shot will be of the ring slowly sinking into the lake, which will mirror the feeling of impending doom or the loss of romance.

The Pitch

In my group we prepared a presentation which we presented to the class, it was intended to persuade the artist's record company to hire us to create the music video for their artist.
We created a powerpoint presentation to convey our thoughts and ideas for the video etc.

Below is a link to the presentation we used in the pitch -

http://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0B8S3seYTtW_GZjIxODZjMTgtNWVlMS00Yzc3LTk2N2EtY2IwYTAyMWVjMDA4&hl=en

Below is the video of the pitch itself -

Digipack Research

What is a Digipack?

Digipack is a patented style of compact disk or DVD packaging. They typically consist of a gatefold (book-style) paperboard or card stock outer binding, with one or more plastic trays capable of holding a CD or DVD attached to the inside. (wikipedia)

Digipacks are a type of CD packaging made out of card stock or other heavy paper/cardboard material. Digipacks can flip open like a book, or it can have three parts, so that one portion of the packaging opens to the right and one to the left, with the CD in the centre portion. (about.com)

Examples of Digipacks -

This is an example of a John Mayer CD digipack.

The neutral theme used throughout the digipack is clean and simple reflecting the artist's ethos, in other words the overall image that the record label wants to convey to the audience. In a way, it mirrors the way his live performances and some of his songs are just him and his guitar, a simple but affective set-out that has earned him an extensive fanbase.

The black and white images hint of a certain nostalgia towards past popular music genres e.g. jazz and are a sort of tribute to that old era of smokey clubs and authentic musicians. This therefore could represent the type of music that is present on the album.
Furthermore the design on the CD itself reminds me of the design used on old vinyls.

This is an example of a Coldplay CD digipack.

Considering Coldplay fit into the rock genre, this album cover etc. looks more alternative, due to the abstract illustrations. Each illustration could be seen as indicative of a certain historical event, period or era. For example, the cover art is an excerpt from the painting by Eugene Delacroix called 'Liberty Leading the People' depicting a scene from the French Revolution in the 1800s. Due to the powerful ideal behind the painting and the overall strength related to this historical period, it could be said that the band wanted to convey the message behind their lyrics and songs on the album, for example the idea of struggle but also liberation are explored in both the album cover and their lyrics.

The back panel is a more serene photograph that still, due to the sepia tone, harks back to another era or past.

The middle pages of the insert of the CD (see left image) remind me of a certain psychometric test - the Rorschach inkblot test, used to examine a person's personality characteristics and emotional functioning. At the time, this was a new concept and was hit by numerous complaints and controversy over its radical unique approach. Therefore this could represent the type of music apparent on the CD - a new, unique type of music that was a shift from their music before.

Secondly the random writing around the central image could be representative of the Free Association technique founded by Sigmund Freud, the idea that patients speak freely about whatever comes into their mind and through this problems or conflicts in their sub-conscious are resolved. Again this could mirror the band's approach to songwriting - it is a stream of consciousness, and hinting at the possible hidden meanings behind their lyrics.

Finally, the back panel and the CD itself, reminds me of an old hardback book, embossed with gold ink, which furthers the above connotations of the Coldplay's overall digipack for their album 'Viva La Vida' - a reminiscence or tribute of by-gone eras and pivotal foundings of previous generations.

What is a Promopack?

A promopack encompasses both the digipack (see above for description etc.) and the music video itself. It is important that both the video and digipack are linked in some way, so that they are easily recognisable on their own and look complete when together. This can be achieved in many ways. For example, using a still from the video itself on the cover of the digipack.

Cinematography

Composition -
During most of the shots in the woods and by the lake, he girl will be central within the frame to keep the audience's attention on her but to also make sure that it is clear that she is, in effect, the main character. For example, when she sits on the end of the pontoon she will be in the centre of the shot with the lake on either side - this also creates a sense of symmetry. There will also be many shots in whcih the girl/subject is very small in comparison to her surroundings - in other words, the camera will be zoomed out and far away from her, allowing for the viewer to take in the location and also recognise how vulnerable and emotionally drained the girl is.

Camera angles -
When the couple are in bed, we hope to use a high-angle shot, making it feel like the viewer is an outsider looking in.
Again, we may use high-angle shots in the woods etc. to emphasise the fragility of the girl and how 'lost' she looks.


Colour
In the woods and at the lake, we may use a dark tint to create a sort of mysterious tension, and intensifying the magical mossy colours apparent in nature. In the flashbacks, we will use black and white to make it clear that we are showing the past and to avoid confusion and also to symbolise how the subject feels about the relationship - that is was colourless and unhappy.


Types of shot
We will use a close-up when she throws the ring into the lake to show detail and because it symbolises the end of the video but also the end of her relationship.
Mostly in the woods, we will use establishing shots and long shots to give a sense of location and include as much of the surroundings as possible whilst also emphasising the girl's vulnerability.

Mise-en-scene

Costume/Make-up

The girl in our video will be dressed in a slip dress (see below) which by the end will be soiled at the bottom as she runs through the woods.
Make-up wise the girl will have lots of mascara and eye make-up that has run in streams down her face, to look like she has been crying (see below left). This will create a sort of wild, terrorised look to her, which will mirror our narrative and her emotions towards the break-up of her engagement.

The boy will, during the 'getting-ready' scene be wearing/getting changed into smart trousers and a shirt, and he will be wearing no make-up.

Props

The ring will be a vital prop as it will represent the engagement/relationship between the boy and girl, and we will show a close-up of her putting the ring on or wearing it. Then at the end of the video we will see her drop the ring into the lake - symbolising the end of their engagement and the finality of the action.

Settings

The 'getting ready' scenes will be shot in a bedroom with a large double bed and a clean neutral interior, so as not to distract from the body language/actions of the actors. There will also hopefully be a wooden slatted blind which will, when the light shines through it, cast strips of shadow over the characters while they lie in bed - to represent the boy's fragemented thoughts but also the fragile, broken state of their relationship.
The other settings will be a wood, which the girl will run through - to heighten the sense of mystery, adventure and danger. Then near the end she will 'stop' at the edge of a lake, to bring her journey to a conclusion.

The lake ------------>

Colour

I think it would be interesting if we varied the spectrum of colours in the video. For example, for flashbacks or shots of the two characters together we could change to black & white, then during her running through the wood we could darken the image and use dull colours but contrast that with short bursts of orange sunlight streaming through the trees, and finally at the lake we could shoot during sunset to get a sort of pinky, orangish glow. The sunset could also be seen as the symbol of an end or an air of finality because it comes at the end of a day - therefore representing the break-up/end of their relationship.

Planning My Music Video

How did we come to a decision on which song to use in my music video? -

We decided to choose the song ' Dreaming With A Broken Heart' by John Mayer because he was already one of my favourite artists, so I played a few of his songs to Jace (my other team member) and we both then agreed on which one to use - one that was quite slow and bluesy and that also didnt have an existing video. Although earlier on we did for a while consider the song 'Heartbeats' by Jose Gonzalez because of the overall tone of the song but we found that the lyrics of the John Mayer song held more meaning and therefore we felt we could produce a more meaningful video by staying true to the lyrics.

The Lyrics -

When you're dreaming with a broken heart
Then waking up is the hardest part
You roll outta bed and down on your knees
And for a moment you can hardly breathe

Wondering was she really here?
Is she standing in my room?
No she's not, 'cause she's gone, gone, gone, gone, gone....

When you're dreaming with a broken heart
The giving up is the hardest part
She takes you in with her crying eyes
Then all at once you have to say goodbye

Wondering could you stay my love?
Will you wake up by my side?
No she can't, 'cause she's gone, gone, gone, gone, gone....

Now do i have to fall asleep with roses in my hands
Do i have to fall asleep with roses in my hands?
Do i have to fall asleep with roses in my hands?
Do i have to fall asleep with roses in my , roses in my hands?

Would you get them if i did?
No you won't, 'cause you're gone, gone, gone, gone, gone....

When you're dreaming with a broken heart
Then waking up is the hardest part

I think what makes these lyrics so interesting is the fact that they dont follow the structure of a normal song, therefore we can sort of play with the structure of video e.g following a whole narrative , instead of keeping to a strict pattern - like during every play of the chorus keeping the camera on the singer etc.
I also feel that they would fit in well with a narrative of a love story - we can literally get many of our ideas for the video from the actual song lyrics. For example, the emotions of our characters/actors - they feel so lonely/upset that they 'can hardly breathe', when to make cuts - on each 'gone, gone, gone, gone, gone'.
Finally I think that because the lyrics are quite obsure, it leaves room for our own interpretation. For example, it isnt full traditional love lyrics instead it is made up of lyrics which convey real gritty emotions which we can hopefully convey through our video.


Analysis of other videos by John Mayer -

Clarity - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTemo3n61YE

Throughout the video many different interesting camera perspectives are used, for example -a high-angle shot of the singer, extreme close-ups, and a circular effect which makes the viewer feel like they are looking through a telescope (see video at 0.19 secs) - these varying viewpoints add interest and makes the viewer feel involved in the video itself. An example would be when the artist, John Mayer, is walking down the pier and when he stops walking the camera keeps moving around him, including zooming out and high-angle shots to give a sense that time is carrying on around while he is standing still.
The large spectrum of lighting utilised in the video comes from natural light, for example it feels like the whole day has been documented - from sunrise to sunset e.g. moonlight, therefore it feels as if we, the viewers, are being taken on not only a metaphorical journey - apparent in the lyrics, but also an actual journey seen in the video. There is a strong reference to 'time' the lyrics and the video e.g. "morning", "moment", "forever", "second of time" and "afternoon".
The overall tone of colours included in the shots are bright and seem to have been enhanced, especially in the shots set in the fairground and on the pier, for example the bright turquoise of the telescope (0.05) and the swing ride (1.40), these bright colours convey a sense of fun and youth associated with the setting and links with the lyrics - "rock candy".

Daughters - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DOdAOHBcZI

The 'Daughters' video is mostly in black and white, therefore making it seem simplistic, so that more emphasis is put on the lyrics of the song. The shots of John Mayer playing the guitar are in black and white, hinting that his world is darkness without the girl who, when shown, is partially illuminated with multi-coloured light. Both aspects of lighting serve a purpose - the coloured light creates patterns on her face, as if she is looking through a patterned screen, whilst the black and white casts shadows on his face.
The beginning of the video starts out of focus and then begins to focus, this creates a sense of intrigue.


Ideas so far -

(below is a brainstorm of our initial ideas)

Narrative of a couple who have broken up

Show a girl running through fields & woods, with mascara/make-up running down her face, in a long floaty dress which she holds up but is covered at the bottom with mud & leaves

Switch from black and white to colour, and from present-day to flashbacks of when they were still together

On 'Will you wake up by my side?' show a shot of them together back to back in bed, with the light streaming in between a wooden blind which casts lines of shadow across them both

She could be running through/in the rain

Inspirational images -