Props

I have contacted a company called Colourful Coffins asking them if they have any spare or damaged coffin parts that I could as part of my prop that will be the box that my character is stuck in at the beginning of the music video, to be shown in a similar way to this:                                               
                                     

If it then turns out that this will not be possible I will then need to find another way of creating a man sized box to use as a prop, possibly creating my own with wood or cardboard.

I have found a website that shows how to make cardboard look like wood for if I am unable to acquire and wooden boxes big enough to work as my prop. Using cardboard that's made to look like wood for my prop will be a cheap and easy way to create the prop if the real thing (wood) is inaccessible. Take a look at the website I have found then have a look at my earlier post about the opening part of my music video which will be using this prop, looking at the use of one in Misfits and Kill Bill.

Website: http://www.ehow.co.uk/how_7805491_make-cardboard-look-like-wood.html

Audience Research

For my music video to 'Lost' that I have written, I will need to portray the song in such a way that the types of people that listen to my genre of music will enjoy and possibly relate too.

This is the case with every kind of band/artist. Their following will expect to hear/see things that are expected from the band, from the music all the way to the clothes that they wear.

Recently I came across a photographer called James Mollison who had a project that he called 'The Desciples'. This looked into what the fans and followers of certain musical artists looked like, taking pictures of individuals after gigs and putting them together in a row. Have a look at Millison's website and take a look at his work for yourself, then come back and see my comments about them

James Mollison: The Disciples - http://www.jamesmollison.com/project_disciples.php

This is an interesting aspect to fans. The people chosen to be photographed for these shots are clearly trying to dress like the musical artist they have come to see, dressing like them and reflecting their appearance.

Having looked at this, I feel that in my music video I will have to really portray the traits and appearances that the band normally emit. Below is a link to Monday Coma's Facebook page, Twitter page and Soundcloud, have a look to see what kind of band they are as well as listening to their music to distinguish what kind of band they are and so in turn understand what their fans would expect and want to see in a music video of theirs.
I see Monday Coma to be a quite light hearted band that seem to have a message in most of their song which they are trying to portray. This being the case I will try to portray the mood and message of the song whilst trying to get across the feel of the band when showing them playing.

Resarch Into Similar Products: Misfits: Buried in a coffin scene

Also in Misfits (E4) there is a scene in which Nathan (Robert Sheehan) is lying in a coffin that has been buried under the ground, having just come back from the dead - Nathan is invincible due to his power he received in a supernatural storm- where he is shown from the side in a medium close up:
                             
Watch this clip of the scene talked about then come back and see what I will be taking from it as inspiration.

Clip of Nathan in coffin: http://www.channel4.com/programmes/misfits/videos/nathans-coffin/s2-exclusive-buzzing


I will use something similar to this in my music video for 'Lost' in the first part of the song when the character is revealed to be inside some kind of box under the ground. I will construct a prop similar to that of the coffin used in Misfits, but mine will look much less aesthetically pleasing as the coffin does, not having the silk lining or pillow. The i will use will have a much more cramped feel.

A film that has a similar scene in it is Kill Bill Volume 2 (Quentin Tarantino). In this scene the woman trapped in a coffin buried underground escapes and digs her way up to the surface. Here is the clip:

This is a little more how I will have my box that the character is in, much less glamorous and has a much greater feeling of being cramped and claustrophobic. 

Scripting

In my music video I do not plan to have any talking or sounds other than the song. I feel this is the best as the song is about quite a serious subject and so having any talking would take the focus way from the lyrics, of which are a major focus of the song.

From the research I have done, however, I found that most music videos that do have scripting in have very little and is usually done at the beggining of the music video or the end. Although some have a few bits of dialog in the middle also.

Here is the music video to 'Lifestyle For The Rich And Famous' by Good Charlotte which includes scripting, that adds to the effect of the video and song:

Research Into Similar Prooducts: Misfits: time travel scene

In Misfits, a British science fiction comedy drama television show broadcasted on Channel 4, has a number of scenes in it where the character Curtis (Nathan Stewart-Jarrett) has a power that means he can travel back in time.
They portray this by having a close up of Curtis' eye whilst the past scenes rewind in the pupil of his eyes:

I will use a similar technique in my music video to show the transition between the sections of the song, connecting the elements and the transitions between them. This will allow me to make extreme changes to the environment around the character without making it seem unbelievable or odd. However, as this may turn out a bit to challenging to edit together in a way that they have done, so I may do mine by over lapping two shots; one of the character's eye and the other of the person failing about.

Research Into Similar Products: 'Spanish Sahara' by Foals

This is the video to 'Spanish Sahara' by Foals. I am looking at this video because through out the video it has a recurring clip of choppy icy water. This is a recurring theme that emphasis the subject and emotion of the song and creates a cold feel to the video. These shots could be seen as a metaphor, as the song seems to be about someone that has drowned, for the inevitable fate of the person subjected in the song; the place they're headed, and because of the recurrence of the shot, the place they cannot escape.

The 1996 film Romeo and Juliet directed by Baz Lurhman also uses this idea of recurring things, in this case also using water. Here is the trailer:

Research Into Similar Products: 'Disco 2000' - Pulp

Here is the music video to 'Disco 2000' by Pulp, watch it then have a read of my comments and thoughts:

This music video has a running story going on in the video that is different to the one being told in the song, however, there are parts that link to each story, such as the part where the man in the music video sees the singer of the band on the tv. This creates a contrapuntal feeling with story lines, creating much more interest.

I could use this idea in my music video, having possibly two stories going on that could, in the end, enter into each others stories and connect into one bigger story.

Research Into Similar Products: 'Charmless Man' - Blur

Below is the music video for 'Charmless Man' by Blur, give it a watch then read what I have had to say about it and how it can help me with my own music video:

In this video I think that there is a good use of character relations to the band. Throughout the video the band are seen near the character of the song's story but you are not quite sure if he can see the band or not. However, at one point it is made clear that the character can see them as he interact with them, pushing the singer over.

This makes you question whether it is just the character that can see the band or whether they are actually there, if they are actually just part of the characters imagination or conscious.

This intern then makes us question the characters sanity.

In my music video I could do a similar thing with the relationship between the characters, showing the band to be where ever the character is, almost as if they are performing to this character, but the character does not acknowledge their presence. The aim of this will be to get the audience asking what the band are to this character, if they are a metaphor or even ghosts.

Production Calender

I am now moving into the filming part of my production, keeping to schedule with my production calender: 

Copy of Media Studies Production Calendar 2013-2014

Updated Production Pitch

Here is an updated verison of my production pitch for my A2 media studies main task:

Production Pitch Updated