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Unit 29: Music Video Production

Pre-Production Booklet for Music Video
Name: Sam Ellis
Order of contents (Italics show areas you must add in yourself)

Song

Lyrics

Meaning of the song

Storyboard

Script

Mood board

Props list

Locations

Shooting schedule

Call sheet

Risk assessment

Clearances

Rules for your production

Your potential track must conform to the following
criteria:
1.
It must provide opportunities for original and creative work
2.
It must have a clearly definable target audience
3.
It must be generically identifiable i.e as clearly belonging
to a particular genre/sub/genre
4.
it must be of digital quality and in an appropriate format
for capturing to Adobe Premiere Pro CS5
5.
The track must have been missed and recorded to a high
standard, including if using an independent artist (e.g. local
band)
6.
You need to be able to prove you have checked ownership
and have sought permission to use the track.
Your choices will need to:
1.
Be filtered out by your teacher if unsuitable (please
anticipate the likely 'secondary' audience at Henley (parents,
younger children, principle etc)
2.
Inspire the group to make a creative, original music video
that uses and/or challenges conventions
3.
Be suitable for broadcast on mainstream music television
so
- No swearing
- No sexually aggressive language/imagery
- Avoid drug related lyrics/imagery

Song
Song title
Be Together

Artist
Major Lazer ft Wild Belle

Genre
Electronic/Pop

What are the conventions of music videos from this genre?

The conventions of the music video in electronic style usually have computer graphics to
show the effects of productions. They also usually have a few different instruments like
keyboards and drums that show the general format of electronic style music. A usual format
of electronic type songs follows a surrealistic format that presents a unique and original idea
for the audience.
However, pop music videos usually have someone lip-syncing over the original track, to show
they are singing the song. Pop songs tend to promote the artist more than the actual song,
but in some cases the two can work easily together. A normal format of pop songs is usually
shown in a narrative structure to create a more emotional response from the audience.
I will include a variety of different shots in my music video to make it more interesting and
unique for the audience. The use of several different shots creates the idea that is story is
being told, and presenting a new idea for the audience.

How are you going to meet these conventions in your video?

Style (in-concert and as live footage; animation (stop motion, digital); interpretative; narrative;
impressionist; surrealist; pastiche; parody; referencing; homage)

The main idea I am going to use in my music video is the format of a narrative structure,
which will cause a more emotional response from the audience. The main convention in pop
songs mainly focuses around the idea of lip-syncing and miming, whereas my video will have
some lip-syncing in it, but will mainly follow a narrative storyline between two people. The
narrative structure will help tell a story and present a new idea for the audience that can be
more relatable and realistic. I think a narrative structure would be more effective in making
the music video more successful, as it will intrigue the audience more and make them want
to watch the music video.

Costume
There will be many different costumes that will be used in the music video. The fact that the
music video is going to be set in the modern era, will express the fact as to why the actors
are wearing modern clothes. This will emphasise the target audience, as they will be wearing
teen style clothing. There will be several formats of clothing that will be present in the music
video from smart to casual clothing. This will help emphasise what is happening at this stage
of time, and represent to the audience the reason for this change. The main costume type in
the music video will be in relation to the modern day era, and the clothes they are wearing
will be fairly standard, but changing in relation to lighting and storyline to fit around this basis.

Lighting
The lighting for the music video will need to either be fairly low key or high key depending on

the scene. The use of various lighting will ensure that the message from the storyline is
amplified and will also show the time of day and how this changes throughout the music
video. The flashbacks will be purposefully intended to be high key to express the feelings of
happiness and joy, whereas the scenes of the aftermath of the death will purposely be low
key to show the change in mood. The variety of different lighting in the music video will
create a contrasting idea for the audience, where the positive and happy scenes can easily
be compared to the more negative and miserable scenes. The lighting is majorly important to
consider, as it sets the mood for the audience and presents a new idea they can possibly
relate to.

Locations
A lot of various locations will be used to make the music video more interesting and unique
for the audience. The use of the countryside in the music video will represent two effects of
positive and negative showing a contrast between the two. The main time of day the scenes
will be filmed in, is going to be during the day, where the light will usually be brighter and
more easily link to several different emotions. Another location that is going to be in the
music video will be the graveyard/ church, which will be present in showing the storyline to
the audience. The home style environment will also be important to consider, as it will
present a new format and idea that the audience may have not seen before. The home style
location will be used to make the location kore realistic and relatable for the audience, and
will represent the death of the boyfriend.

Shot types
There will be a variety of different shot types, to make the overall quality of the production
more interesting and successful. I will mainly be using mid shots and panning shots that will
focus on people and the scenic backgrounds around. I will use a few low and high angle
shots to give a new prospective on the storyline, and shots from a further distance might be
more effective. The use of point of view will also be used, to strengthen the fact the music
video is intend to be relatable for the audience.

Research
What music videos have you watched to research your genre?
The main music videos that I have researched are pop and electric style music videos, as
this is the main genre my music follows. Chainsmokers have a similar sort of style to Major
Lazer from the mixed type of music. Both artists produce and write their own songs, which
is a similarity between the two. Major Lazer is a more well-known, established artist,
whereas Chainsmokers are only really starting out, but are becoming hugely popular and
successful and this could make them new competition for Major Lazer. The main focus in
the Major Lazer videos are fairly energetic with the scenes purposefully got several things
happing in it. The main theme in Major Lazers music videos are the scenes of surrealism,
pastiche and sometimes narrative. All of these elements make the music videos more

interesting and entertaining to watch for the viewing audience.

How have these videos influenced the decisions made? Include screen shots of the key
influences

The Chainsmokers music video is a new modern concept, which has influenced my idea
slightly, as it involves a new concept and a completely original idea. A lot of the
Chainsmokers music videos follow a narrative structure with a key, understandable storyline
for the audience to follow. This idea I choose to use in my music video, as I believe it makes
the music video seem more realistic, and makes the audience link to this concept more
effectively. The fact that Major Lazer uses surrealism in most of his videos is purposefully
done to make them more interesting and unique, but I intend to use a different concept
where the content in my music video is more realistic and relatable to the audience.

Lyrics
Let me escape in your arms
Baby I'm yours, baby I'm yours
Love don't come easy at all
I miss you so much, I miss you so much
Tell me, is this freedom, baby?

Chasing after danger, making my heart race, woah

Maybe if the stars align, maybe if our worlds collide
Maybe on the dark side we could be together, be together
Maybe in a million miles, on a highway through the stars
Someday soon we'll be together
He was a dreamer at heart
Chasing the stars, chasing the stars
Wings spread to the sun
I miss you so much, I miss you so much
Tell me, is this freedom, baby?
Chasing after danger, making my heart break, woah
Maybe if the stars align, maybe if our worlds collide
Maybe on the dark side we could be together, be together
Maybe in a million miles, on a highway through the stars
Someday soon we'll be together
We'll
We'll
We'll
We'll

be
be
be
be

together, we'll
together, we'll
together, we'll
together, we'll

be
be
be
be

together
together
together
together

Maybe if the stars align, maybe if our worlds collide

Maybe on the dark side we could be together, be together
Maybe in a million miles, on a highway through the stars
Someday soon we'll be together
Maybe if the stars align, maybe if our worlds collide
Maybe on the dark side we could be together, be together
Maybe in a million miles, on a highway through the stars
Someday soon we'll be together

Meaning of the song

Does the song have a meaning? If so, what is it?

The song has several different meanings, the main lyrics in the song are miss and love,
suggesting the song is about love and death. The main focus is surrounding a girl that fell in
love with a wonderful person. The lyrics are suggesting that she misses him a lot, and almost
wishes she was with him. The concept of several different meanings within the music video
represents different opinions that can be gathered from the main response from the
audience. Emotion is the key aspect that is purposefully intended to evoke from the music
video, and the content is meant to easily show and justify this.

How will your visuals relate to the song? (Illustrate, Amplify or Disjuncture)
The visuals will relate to the lyrics in the song, as there will be two underlining meanings,
which are both going to be contrasting with each other. The main focus is going to be
surrounding loss and death, so the main scenes are going to be fairly low key and show the
effects after what happened between the couple. At certain times of the music video the
lighting will purposefully intended to be high key and positive, in order to show how things
were before and link it easily with the lyrics. The different visuals will present two different
contrasting styles that can be identified as different, and this will make it more interesting and
unique for the audience.

Storyboard
Insert your storyboard here

Think carefully about the shots you will be using. Consider the range of shots/angles
to give interest and perspective

Script
Description of what will happen in your video Inc. camera
movements, angles etc.
The first scenes are going to show the countryside with a sunrise and sunset, with the timelapse showing it over a short period of time. The next few scenes are going to show the
similar sort of concept, but with more varieties of camera angles used at once. As the scene
jumps from the countryside to an enclosed small room, the entire lighting is different with the
atmosphere clearly different. The girl is laying down on the bed, visibly upset and her head is
sunk into a pillow. A selection of high angle and close up will be used to show this. As the
scene switches the girl is holding a photo close to her chest, when the camera changes the
angle the photo is visible to the audience, showing her boyfriend who is now dead.
The scenes change again to the previous insight that previously. A flashback of a montage of
events that happened before will be present for the audience. As the story progresses the
audience can see the couple visibly happy and content with life before. The scene changes
again before the alternation begins in the music video.

Lyrics

Visuals

Let me escape in your arms

Baby I'm yours, baby I'm yours

Showing scenic backgrounds, the

countryside time-lapse included

Love don't come easy at all

I miss you so much, I miss you so much

Showing the girl fairly upset, depressed

and laying down on a bed. Lip syncing
used.

Tell me, is this freedom, baby?

Chasing after danger, making my heart
race, woah

Maybe if the stars align, maybe if our

worlds collide
Maybe on the dark side we could be
together, be together
Maybe in a million miles, on a highway
through the stars
Someday soon we'll be together

He was a dreamer at heart

Chasing the stars, chasing the stars
Wings spread to the sun
I miss you so much, I miss you so much
Tell me, is this freedom, baby?
Chasing after danger, making my heart
break, woah

Maybe if the stars align, maybe if our

worlds collide
Maybe on the dark side we could be
together, be together
Maybe in a million miles, on a highway
through the stars
Someday soon we'll be together
We'll
We'll
We'll
We'll

be
be
be
be

together,
together,
together,
together,

we'll
we'll
we'll
we'll

be
be
be
be

together
together
together
together

Maybe if the stars align, maybe if our

Miss you so much needs to relate to

the boyfriend
She is staring at photos, tears are in her
eyes. She closes her eyes

Flashbacks to life before the death, the

happiness, the joy and the love for one
another
Each line, with various different scenes
used
The story shows how the couple first
met and how the relationship
progressed

Shows the positive aspects of the

boyfriend, and why she misses him so
much.
The story is intended to be realistic

Showing the scenic scenes in the

countryside, the sun can relate to
emotions

Lyrics link back to scene 1 where the

girl is laying on the bed. Lip syncing.
The camera will be rotating around her
with various angles used to show a
story to the audience.
The scene then goes to the funeral
scenes, with several people in dark
black suits, showing the effects of the

worlds collide
Maybe on the dark side we could be
together, be together
Maybe in a million miles, on a highway
through the stars
Someday soon we'll be together

death. The fact there are lots of people

in attendance will show just how much
he will be missed, because of the
person he was.
The home footage will be used filmed
by one of the people featured in the
music video.
A singular shot of the girl after the
funeral

Maybe if the stars align, maybe if our

worlds collide
Maybe on the dark side we could be
together, be together
Maybe in a million miles, on a highway
through the stars
Someday soon we'll be together

Home footage will be used to show the

flashbacks of the couple. Videos and
photos will show the journey through a
time lapse effect to show the journey so
far
Girl lip syncing to the song, variety of
different angles used. The camera will
be rotating around her, showing her lip
syncing with various different angles as
well.

The scene goes back to the girl, who is

walking through the field, several
different shots will be used to show
them together. However, the girl
becomes in the field on her own, she
realises as she opens her eyes. She
then walks of in the horizon, with sun
fading behind her.

Mood board

Create a mood board showing what look your music video will have. Add images
showing ideas of Mise-en-scene, characters, costumes and colours that will be
present in the different shots.

Props List
What props / models / furniture etc will you need to make your music video?

Production Name: Be Together Major Lazer ft Wild Belle

Producer: Sam Ellis

Item

Script page

Description

Character/location

Notes

2 x Phones

Phone showing

Couple girl and the

Showing the

the flashbacks

guy

previous

and previous
messages

In most scenes

photos and
montages of
everyone

Letters

Previous letters

Girl, at home

Letters will
clearly be
made to
look old

Newspaper

No one, several

Signifying the

showing the

different locations.

death to

current news,

Home, church and

everyone

including the

local roads

signifying the
previous
relationship
Newspaper

death at the time

Flowers

Cards

Lots of various

All people in

Showing the

flowers showing

attendance at the

death clearly

the death

church

Cards of

No one, all around

Signifying the

condolences to

the home at the time

death

When the couple

The couple, in the

Showing the

first got together,

fields

first

several people
Picnic
Blanket

showing their first

blossoming

date
Various food

romance

When the couple

The couple, in the

Showing the

first got together,

fields

first

showing their first

blossoming

date

romance

Location recce
Complete the location recce for the final venue.

Shooting Schedule for production: Be Together

M
O
N

T
U
E
S

W
E
D

9am10am

10am11am

11am12pm

Set up
tripod for
time
lapse in
the
morning

Continuing
to film

Stop
filming for
the time
lapse

12pm1pm

1pm-2pm

Film the
inside
scenes
with Chris
and
Leanne

Continuou
s filming
End of
recording

3pm-4pm

Film the
evening
time lapse

4pm-5pm

Stop the
film time
lapse

T
H
U
R
S

Film the
other
smaller
scenes
with Chris
and
Leanne

Film the
outside
scenes
with Chris
and
Leanne

Call Sheet
VIIBE PRODUCTIONS @ The Henley
College
Production: Be Together
Client Information: 7 People
Location:
Countryside
Woods
Church
Home Location
Cast and Crew:

Role:

Phone Number:

Leanne Danbury

Couple

07748492651

Christopher
Bedford

Couple

07926537899

Brother

07464399038

Family 1

01494 678904

Family 2

077849692651

Darren Bedford
Jodie, Dave
Katie, Ben

Production Requirements:
1. Change of clothes
2. Weatherproof clothing
3. Mobile Phone
4. Bags, smaller items
5. Any other items needed
Other Information:

Brief:
Always have mobile phone, in
case I need to contact you.
Please arrive at destinations at
least 15mins beforehand, and
be prepared for recording

Continue
filming till
around
sunset

If you need to ask anything contact me on: 07849584651

Please make sure you have read the script and main outlined idea, so you
have an idea about what the video is going to be about

Risk assessment of venue

Complete risk assessment for the shooting locations

ACTIVITY

HAZARD

RISK
H/M/L

PRECAUTIONS

IN PLACE

REVIEW
DATE

REVIEWE

Electrical
equipment

Could get wet if

it is raining

Check the
weather before
hand

No

3/3/16

Sam

Danger near
public roads

Members could
get hit by a car

Take
precautions
around road

No

3/3/16

Sam

Equipment

Equipment
could be stolen

Be extra
cautious

No

3/3/16

Sam

Damaged
equipment

Equipment
could get
damaged if it is
raining

Check weather
and have
protective
equipment or
insurance

No

3/3/16

Sam

Safety of
others

People could
hurt themselves
if they dont pay
attention

Make sure
everyone is
always safe
during filming

Yes

3/3/16

Sam

Dangers when
driving

Make sure
everyone is safe

Be cautious

Yes

3/3/16

Sam

Please leave this section blank:

Risk Assessment checked by: Name: Sam Ellis
Date:3/3/16

Signed:

A copy of this form should be taken on the activity or visit by the Reviewer.

Clearances
Insert copy of email sent to record label requesting permission for the use of
chosen song
Dear Sir/Madam
I am currently studying at The Henley College, where I am studying Creative
Media Production Level 3. We are currently making our own music videos, and
we had to choose a song that would showcase our talents and had enough
content in it to make a successful music video. I choose, Be Together, which
is by one of your artists Major Lazer. I choose this song, because I think its a
really good song and has enough content and purpose to make a really good
music video for the unit Im currently studying.
Therefore, I am writing to you to ask for your permission to use the track in
my music video. I know the song already has a music video, but I would really
like to make a completely different music video that still showcases the talent
of Major Lazor and Wild Belle.
I would be entirely grateful if you did allow me to use this song. I look forward
to hopefully hearing back from you.
Yours faithfully

Sam Ellis