Storyboards

The first shot is a close up of someone playing the guitar. This emphasizes the indie genre as a guitar is a typical instrument in the indie genre. The second shot is of a man walking down a street. This is going to be a long shot and then the man will walk past the camera. His facial expression will be emotionless as we are unsure of where he is going. The third shot is going to be a behind shot of a girl walking in the opposite direction to the man. This will also be a long shot as well. We don't see the girl's facial expression as we are shooting from behind.



The fourth shot is of the girl walking towards the camera in the same direction. This will be a long shot so we can see the girl's body language. The fifth shot is multiple shots of the girl and boy walking through the town centre. They will be a variety of shots, long, medium and close ups. The sixth shot is the lead singer emotionally singing into the microphone. This will be a close up of the lead singer and the microphone so we can see the emotion in his face.

After the lead singer has sung the chorus we cut to a behind shot of the boy looking at a street sign. It is a medium shot and shows the audience that the boy is trying to find a place. It is going to be a medium shot. It is ambiguous where he is trying to get to which is hopefully what the audience will think. The eighth shot is the girl looking at the street sign but in the opposite direction. It is also going to be a medium shot. We now realise that the girl and boy are heading to the same place which makes the storyline clearer. The camera then turns to a medium shot of the girl looking at the sign post. This is so the audience can see her curious expression.

The first shot is of an extreme close up of the girls eye which is a typical convention of an emotional indie song. The next shot merges into an extreme close up of the boy's eye which is again a typical convention of an emotional indie song. The next shot is a medium close up of the boy looking at the street sign looking curious which shows the audience that he's looking for the same place as the girl.

The next shot is of the guy walking into the museum gardens and this will be from behind so the audience can clearly see where he is going. This will be a long shot so the audience can get a wider view of the surroundings and it sets the atmosphere for the video. The next shot is a high angle of the boy laying down on the grass just as the lyrics sing 'if I lay here' which gives the lyrics some literal meaning. The shot is a medium close up as we want to see the relief and relaxation on the boy's face.

We then go to a high angle and long shot of the boy layng down so we can see whereabouts he is laid. This also gives us a clear view of the man's surroundings and sets the tone of wonder and excitement at what's going to happen next which is a typical convention of the indie genre. The next shot is a medium close up of the girl laying down on the grass. We can also see her relaxed and happy expression which arouses the audiences suspisions but keeps their attention as they will want to know what happens next. The next shot is a high angle and long shot of the girl and boy laying next to each other which will then show that they were trying to find each other all along.

In the next shot we see that the boy is looking to his left and smiling. This is a close up shot of the boy's face so the audience can view his expression. the next shot is of the girl looking to the right and smiling. This is also a close up so we can see the girl's happy face. These shots are very typical of a love song although they aren't typical of an Indie song as they are normally sad, worried or scared in a typical indie love song. The next shot will lead to the chorus and the band will be shown altogether and the lead singer will be singing emotionally singing. This will be a long shot so we can see all of the band members.

The next shot sees a long shot of the boy and girl walking down the street holding hands. This is quite an iconic shot as it represents love and happiness. This is very typical of love stories but it isn't very conventional of the indie genre as there aren't many love scenes. The next shot is a closer shot of the couple as they are walking down the street. This is again from behind them and the speed of the cars and passers by will be faster than normal to signal that time is flying by. The next shot is the band shot again and it is again a long shot to show the members in the band.

The next shot is a long shot of the guy and girl looking over each other's shoulders and then back at each other in a sign of love. We can see the bare emotion of their love and the looking into each other's eyes is a very conventional love scene. This mixes with the song very well as it's about sacrificing everything for your loved one. This then fades into the next shot which is a medium close up of the guy and girl looking at each other which builds up tension between them as well as the audience. Then we fade into a close up of the boy and girl looking at each other. This again builds up the tension and gives the audience curiousity of what's going to happen next.

The final shot is a close up of the lead singer emotionally singing into the microphone as the video fades to black. This is typical as it shows how the lead singer is part of the main focus in the story. This could indicate if the lead singer has had an experience like this.

Shot Lists

1. Close up of guitar being played.
2. Man walking up street. This will be a long shot.
3. Cross to girl walking up a street in the opposite direction. This will be a long shot as well.
4. Cuts between boy and girl until they walking in different directions.
5. Chorus. Crosses to the band playing. Posed in a studio. Will be a medium shot.
6. Cuts to boy looking at street sign.
7. Cuts to girl looking at the street sign.
8. Cuts to medium shot of the girl.
9. Crosses/ dissolves to a close up of the girl's eye.
10. Fades to a close up of the boy's eye.
11. Then cuts to a medium shot of the boy.
12. Shoots from behind as the boy walks into the museum gardens.
13. Shoots from front of girl walking into museum gardens.
14. Cuts to the boy laying down on the grass.
15. Girl joins him. Medium long shot.
16. High angle as boy and girl look at each other.
17. Close up of boy looking at the girl.
18. Close up of the girl looking at the boy.
19. For the chorus it returns to the band as they play. This will be another medium shot.
20. Long shot as the boy and girl are walking together.
21. Fast cuts as the girl and boy are together. In the museum gardens and all over york.
22. Cuts to band and lead singer finishing the song off as it fades to black.

Planning - Characters

We are going to have a girl and a boy who are in love and trying to find their way to each other. We are going to have myself as the girl. I will have my bright red jacket on (red is the colour of love), a pair of jeans to represent the indie genre as they are casual and I will have some dolly shoes on. We will dress the boy up with a red top to also show love, he will have jeans on and a pair of trainers.

We will then have a band with two boys and a girl, one of the boys will be the lead singer who will wear a hoodie, a pair of dark jeans and a casual T-shirt/top. The other boy will be a guitarist who will wear either a hoodie or a casual jacket, jeans and some trainers. The girl will be the other guitarist on an acoustic guitar who will wear jeans, a casual top (we don't mind which colour) and some nice dolly shoes.

Shooting Schedule -

Planning - locations

We will have one location in college. This will be the photography studios. It was chosen for our band scenes which will need a white background to look like it is in a studio. This location choice will contrast with our real life locations.

The real life locations are the museum gardens, minster abbey gardens and the york station walk way. These were chosen to collaborate with our story of loneliness and finding love. This will be real life so it is unexpected what we will see.

Secondary research on Indie style

I found a website that is based on how to dress like an indie person:

http://www.wikihow.com/Dress-Indie

In order to get a better vision for our music video I have researched a website on how to dress like an indie person and I have found out quite a few facts from this website.

An Indie girl should be open to wearing a lot of bright and floral colours in order to be in the indie style whereas a boy should wear sweaters or leather jackets to look more indie. They too should wear bright colours. Jeans are a must have as they are very casual and look very simple which are classed as indie genre. Layers are very indie as well as they are very indie.

Secondary Research Analysis

We asked our volunteers in the interviews three sets of questions. The catagories were lifestyle, music and product. This showed us what people who enjoyed the music genre liked to do as hobbies as well as their music tastes. It gives us an idea about our video as well as our song as we can have ideas as to what we will include in our video.

Our volunteers said they enjoyed the indie genre and the indie style, such as clothes, life, etc. This gives us an idea of how to dress our actors and actresses. I am considering jeans, either a normal polo shirt with a cardigan on or a shirt with an expression written on. The shoes could be trainers, converse or (for women) dolly shoes.

The video is a bit more complicated as it's a mixture of both concert scene and story scenarios. I think that story scenarios will captivate audiences and keep their interests whereas concerts can be more boring and can have a lot of repetition in them.

Survey Monkey Research

1. Do you like the Indie music genre?

Yes:  75.0%     18 responses

No:  25.0%     6 responses

2. Out of the following bands, which would you say is your favourite?

Coldplay:  20.8%     5 responses

Snow Patrol:  25.0%     6 responses

Kaiser Chiefs:  8.3%    2 responses

Kings Of Leon:  20.8%      5 responses

Oasis:  25.0%     6 responses

3. In music videos, do you prefer:

A narrative or story:  25.0%    6 responses

The band playing as a live set:  4.2%     1 response

A mixture of the two:  70.8%     17 responses

4. Do you prefer music videos to be:

Energetic:  62.5%      15 responses

Chilled out and calm:  45.8%      11 responses

5. Would you buy and album because

The cover is appealing:  12.5%     3 responses

You like the music on the CD:  91.7%      22 responses

The contents of the CD or digipack:  12.5%     3 responses

6. In music videos, do you prefer a rural or urban city location?

Rural:  41.7%    10 responses

Urban:  58.3%    14 responses

7. When you look at an album, do you prefer the colour scheme:

Red, black and white:  45.8%      11 responses

Purple, green and grey:  54.2%     13 responses

8. Do you usually watch your music with the video?

Yes:  54.2%     13 responses

No:  45.8%     11 responses

9. When you buy music, do you:

Buy a hard copy in a store:  12.5%       3 responses

Download it:  66.7%      16 responses

Both:  20.8%    5 responses

10. Do you enjoy going to gigs?

Yes:  87.5%      21 responses

No:  12.5%       3 responses

Secondary Research - Interview 3

Secondary Research - Interview 2

Secondary Research - Interview 1

Looking at Indie Adverts - The Ting Tings

The background is a very bright red colour which will grab the readers attention. It especially stands out against the black and white writing as they make the poster quite dull. The band's name 'The Ting Tings' is in a bright baby blue colour which bounces off against the bright red and the white catching the viewer's attention and making them especially aware of the band who is performing. The band members themselves are in black and white which puts less emphasise on them. This is strange as normally the band members would normally be emphasised more instead of less.

The writing is quite bold and in capital letters which show the viewer that this is important or a big event. The use of capitals makes people think of something urgent so they will consider this gig to be important and it will be considered as a massive event. The simplistic writing style will show the indie genre which shows the calm and relaxed theme which could be linked to the music.

The band members have half of their faces cut off. This causes mystery to them and therefore fans will be more willing to go to their gig as it causes curiosity. Their expressions are very calm and tranquile much like the indie genre therefore linking the band to the music a little bit more.

Looking at Indie Adverts - Green Day

This advert is very simple. The colour scheme is very orientated around the rock genre. it has the typical colours of red, black and white. the black is covering the background and most of the picture. It is very plain and doesn't attract people's eye very much. But the dark red on the page stands out against the black and this is what attracts people's eye. The contrast of the dull and dark colour to the collourful and dark colour is amazing as it makes such a big difference to the page. The white on the page stands out as the red drips across the pale colour. It also stands out when the white is against the black as the colours are complete opposites. This contrast in colours gives the poster a phenomenal eye catching look.

The band's name is written in capital letters which makes the name pop off of the page and gives the poster a rock themed look. The capital letters make it look like the words are angrily said which is an emotion which is often associated with the rock genre. The tiny pieces missing from the letters give an effect of rebellion and gives it an animalistic look. This also adds to the rock genre. The writing underneath, however, is written in small letters which could indicate to the next heading being significantly inferior than the band's name. On the other hand, it could just be another rebellion move as it contrasts to the band's name and this could just be going with the rock genre.

Looking at Indie Advertisements - Friendly Fires

This advertisement is very relaxed. The band is just chilling on a beach but they are in their normal clothes.
They look a little bit out of place but it doesn't matter as they look relaxed. This could show the audience that the music is very relaxed and calm.

The colours are very high key. The colours add to the relaxed atmosphere as the turqoise sea helps us imagine a quiet and calm place. The green trees help us to imagine nature at its best so we think of a happy and serene environment which the viewers think could be linked to the music. The colours also pop off of the page and catch the reader's eye which could intrigue them into buying the album.

The writing is very simple which could indicate to the music being simple as well. This could intrigue the indie audience as they are normally intrigued by calm and simple music.

Digipaks - ColdPlay - X&Y

This digipak is low key with high key in the middle of it on the front cover. The mix of colours could be related to the title of the digipak as X&Y is very vived and it has no meaning, other than the letters, and the colours are very mixed and have no meaning either. The confusion of colours could attract the viewer as they'll find it very intriguing.

The writing is very simplistic showing the indie side which relates to the music. The music video for 'Fix You' and the song in general is very simplistic and calm as is the writing. The writing emphasises the indie genre and the soft lyrics and music.

The title of the digipak is X&Y and it is very weird. This makes me, personally, think of X&Y chromosomes and so therefore it makes the digipak more masculine. Although the theme of relaxation stays as the title is very ambiguous but there is also a theme of mystery which the songs also have a hint of.

Digipaks - Snow Patrol - 'Up To Now'

This digipak is quite dark and black and low key. The front cover has a shooting snowflake on it. This has no relation to the title of the digipak as there is nothing to do with snow in it. This makes the didgpak more interesting as it has an aire of mystery to it. However, I could argue that the snow flake looks like it is moving forward and the title of the album id 'up to now' therefore the snow flake is moving up to now.

Although the snow flake could be related to the name of the band, Snow Patrol. This shows the audience that the digipak is more about the band than about the title of the digipak. It shows the importance of the songs and promotes the band even more.

The writing on the front cover stands out quite a lot as the red and the white match each other to pop off of the page. The bands name, Snow Patrol, is in white to represent snow and to link the bands name to the meaning. The red for the title 'Up to now' could represent something dark like blood to show the viewer that the songs are sad, dark or emotional. The writing style is very simple showing the indie nature of the songs as the indie genre is very relaxed and calm and the writing seems that way too.

The back of the digipak has a lot of black to it. This could be so that the viewer will read the songs and pay more attention to them instead of the pictures. This is a good idea as it puts more concentration on the actual song and therefore people will be prepared to buy the album or download the songs.

Digipaks - Snow Patrol - 'Eyes open'

The digipak is quite dull and its colour is a faded out brown which could represent the sad songs as the colour fading out could show the viewer the happiness that has faded out of the songs.

Although the colour is dull the picture on the front is interesting. The picture is a woman and a man about to kiss although they have no faces and they are made up of different colours. This is very intriguing as the front cover is not relating to the name of the digipak 'Eyes Open' as we can't tell if the people's eyes are open or closed.

The picture looks like it has something like barbed wire on it which could represent restriction in love or heartbreak which could relate to the songs on the digipak. This is a clever technique to include as it makes the picture a metaphor which is quite interesting as it gives the viewer something to think about.

The writing isn't bold or big. It is in very simple writing and it is in black. This is to draw more attention to the picture which will interest the viewers more. On the back of the digipak the writing looks a bit more faded out then the front maybe to show the importance of the front cover.

Research on potential songs - Snow Patrol - Chasing Cars

Snow Patrol's song 'Chasing Cars' is an Indie song and there are two music videos: one for UK and one for the USA. Our team is studying the one for the USA.

The first shot is an over the shoulder shot of the lead vocalist. This makes it very difficult to see his face and clothing but we can see the high key scenery. The lead vocalist is looking outside the window which shows the audience that something is wrong as it's a very slow start.

The next shot is the lead vocalist laying on the floor as the he sings the lyrics 'If I just lay here' which shows the viewer that the lead vocalist is taking the lyrics seriously. This will emphasise the lyrics as the viewer will make the link between both the video and song. The dark colours are not low key though they are quite high key as the light shines off of them and the lead vocalist's clothes mix in with the floor so it looks like he belongs there. This happens quite often as the lead vocalist lays in a diner, the busy main street, at the top of an escalator, in a subway car, at the top of a hill overlooking a highway and at the end on a bed.

Research on potential songs - Coldplay - Fix You

Coldpaly's song 'Fix You' is an Indie song which is a slow song and it was filmed at the end of two concerts on 4 July and 5 July 2005 at Reebok Stadium in Bolton, England.

The song starts off slowly as the lead vocalist is walking towards the camera and singing to it. He is just wandering the streets of London and seems to be lost. This is quite boring for the viewer as there's nothing entertaining about it. It is a very beautiful song but the video starts off boring which can be a problem when dealing with slow songs.

There is a very random shot of a man waving a light about for about 2 seconds of the video. This is confusing and has no relevance to the video. I can only assume that it has been put in the video to try to make it look a bit more interesting but it doesn't succeed and it looks forced in and doesn't interest the audience.

In the next shot it is made perfectly clear why there are lights as the lyrics sing 'lights will guide you home' and he's walking along some streetlights showing the viewer that they are guiding him somewhere, most likely his home.

In the next shot, we see the lead vocalist run to a stadium (The Reebok Stadium) and he is performing a live concert with the rest of coldplay. This has no relevance to the song but it shows the viewer that other people are enjoying the song which could encourage the viewer to do the same. The shot is quite high key due to the fact that lights are being thrown about. This also has relevance to the lyrics 'lights will guide you home'.

The video ends with the audience singing along to the song and enjoying the night. This shows the viewer that the song is enjoyable and will therefore grab the viewer's attention more. Although generally I think the video is very slow and doesn't generally grab the viewer's attention as it is boring. But the live scene is quite eye catching and gives the impression that the song (and the band) are really good.

Costumes: The lead vocalist is wearing normal clothes which has no significance in the song.

Research on potential songs - Snow Patrol - Set the Fire to the Third Bar

Snow Patrol's song 'Set the Fire to the Third Bar' is an Indie song which was filmed in the UK.

The start of the song is a split screen which could show the audience that the two people singing are in two seperate worlds. One side is white and high key and the other is dark blue and low key which could symbolise the difference between the boy and the girl or even the good and the bad? This will bring curiosity to the viewer which will engage them into watching more.

Both the woman and the lead vocalist are both wearing dark clothes which could represent that they are the same or that their worlds seperate them from each other. This indicates that the song is going to be a sad and slow song therefore linking the video to the song.

So far throughout the video we assume that both singers are in seperate rooms and are seperated by a wall and window but there is one shot where the lead vocalist has his hands on the table and the woman singing has her hands creeping up next to him. It confuses the viewer because we assume that they are in seperate rooms but this shot shows that they are both in the same room. This is very intriguing as the viewer will want to know whether they are in the same room or they are imagining each other? Something like this would be good to use in my music video as it will fascinate the viewers and emphasise the deep meaning of the song.

The next shot shows both singers behind bars in different rooms and the lyrics say 'I'm miles from where you are' which could indicate that they are being held from each other. The bars are very strange as it shows them being imprisoned although this could be metaphorical and show that they feel like they are being locked up due to the fact that they are not with each other. High key and low key are both emphasised due to the light shining out of the male's room and the darkness from the female's room.

Although they use metaphors in the video to link to the lyrics they also act out some of the lyrics, for instance, when the lead vocalist sings 'I pray that something picks me up' he is actually shown praying. This emphasises to the audience that the lead vocalist is desperate to be with the girl in the next room.

The female vocalist always seems to be in the male's room when they are together. Could this show dominance between genders? I wouldn't want to do this in my music video as I would like to show equality between genders.

The next shot shows us that the male can't see into the female's room although she can see into his room. This causes confusion as to whether the male is portrayed as the one who has been left behind or whether the female is lovestruck by the male. There are many possibilities which are ambiguous to the audience.

Another shot is the female's image merging with the male's image which could show the viewer that they are soulmates and that they are meant to be together. Their hands are also touching but the glass is inbetween them which could show loves division. The video is linking to the song as both represent love.

The ending of the video shows the female walking away and leaving the male standing alone. This could show that she is moving on or leaving him which shows the theme of heartbreak. This is what happens in a typical heartbreak film and is portrayed in the music video quite well.

Costume: Both singers are wearing dark clothes to show their upset at not seeing each other.

Research on potential songs - Snow Patrol - Run

Snow Patrol´s song ´Run´ is an Indie song which is a slow song and was filmed between dusk and dawn in the Essex countryside to show the loneliness to the song.

The beginning of the song is very slow and it starts off with the lead vocalist walking his bike down the street. This shows me that he´s lonely because of the slow music and the low key of the shot. It´s very dark which shows us that this song is going to be either sad or scary.

The lead vocalist throws his motorbike to the floor in what I can only assume is anger. It shows the viewer that this is going to be a sad song because the lead vocalist is upset. I assumed it was most likely to be a heartbreak song. The shot is low key showing us the dark and hurt emotion that the song has to it.

The lyrics start to say ´light up! Light up!´ and the lead vocalist lights a red distress flare which makes the shot a bit more high key but the background is still low key. This shows the viewer that the lead vocalist is trying to call someone´s attention. This could be a motif for the emotional attention that he is seeking. This is very clever and using a motif would be very useful for my music video as it would engage the viewer more and it would be less boring for the viewer. If my team decide to use a slow song then the motif would be good as slow songs tend to bore people but the motif would bring an interest and curiosity to the viewer.

After the chorus has been sung the lead vocalist throws his flare into the river which he has been standing in. This shows the viewer that the lead vocalist has lost hope and has given up calling for help. Again, this could be classed as a motif as the lead vocalist has lost hope emotionally. This shot is low key apart from the flare in the water which is high key and therefore stands out in the shot. This emphasises the darkness and therefore links to the theme of sadness and links to the song.

In the next shot the lead vocalist is walking through the woods as the sun is rising. As the chorus starts the lead vocalist exits the woods and another distress flare is lit but this time someone else is lighting it behind him. This could show the viewer that the lead vocalist is leaving his past behind him and that someone else needs help. The shot is more high key now which could show a happier ending?

The next shot is two of the band members throwing their flares but the flares don't bump into each other. They pass each other by which could signify the dying love between the lead vocalist and his girl. It crosses a tree and is a very beautiful shot which shows the audience that it links to the song as the song is also beautiful. The shot is very low key apart from the flares which are very bright and therefore add a little bit of high key to the shot.

At the end of the video we see a young man push the bike down into the pond where it sinks. This signifys the end of the love and the end of the song linking the video and the song up and ending the song nicely. The song is very slow but the motifs and the beautiful shots make the video more interesting and the contrast between high and low key is very significant between love and the love dying. This would be good for a music video as it is much more interesting and has deeper meaning than something like 'Everyday I love you less and less' by the Kaiser Chiefs.

Costumes: The lead vocalist is wearing a winter coat which has no relevance to the song. He is just wearing normal clothes.