Storyboard

After creating and developing my synopsis, I decided to produce a storyboard in preparation for filming . This will give me directions whilst filming so I gain all the correct shots required for post production. With a music video, there are a lot more elements to consider so having a storyboard to guide me will ensure that I have everything I need to produce a successful piece of media. Although this is only initial ideas, it will still be a useful piece of equipment to take on set with me and use for editing. 

Costume

Costume

Peter Pan:

Costume is an important element to consider for my music video. As I will be portraying a well known character, I have to ensure my actor is dressed in the appropriate clothing so the audience can identify the link between him and the narrative. 

Peter's costume will be kept the same throughout the video. This will establish his character with the audience and keep the engaged with the story throughout. Although there has been a predominate style for Peter Pan over the years in different plays and film adaptations, I have decided to take a twist on his appearance. Instead of dressing my actor in tights, I will be incorporating modern items of clothing inspired by the original look. My inspiration from this has come from the music video 'Give me Love' by Ed Sheeran as he too has taken an old Green myth and included those themes in a modern day scenario. 

'Ed Sheeran - Give me Love' Cupid

By doing this, I will create something which stands out from other existing products as well as inviting an old traditional genre into a new world of mainstream music. 

Initial Ideas:

These are my first initial ideas for the costume. I want to choose items which are modern in today's society, but still resemble the image of Peter Pan. The shirt is still similar to Peter's original look with the ripped sleeves and collar, however the other items are slightly different. For example, I like the idea of using a baseball hat instead of the cap used in Disney's version as it would be more fashionable for a child to wear in today's society. I will also think about using camouflage trousers as an alternative to tights and shorts. This will give the persona a more current look which again would be something a child would wear in this era of time. The bow and arrow set is used to show Peter being adventurous and independent, but still allows the audience to know he is a kid having fun in his 'Neverland'.

Preparation:

To complete my protagonist's look, I have added little extras to establish the theme of Peter Pan. For example, I have sewn on a red feather to the cap my actor will be wearing. This makes reference to the Disney's version which again will help the audience see a connection between the character's clothing and the well known image of Peter Pan . I have also re-designed the t-shirt my actor will be wearing. Instead of leaving it untouched, I personalised it by cutting into the sleeves of the sleeves to make it appear old and worn out. This also relates to the stereotypical image of Peter Pan, however also can be seen as a child being clumsy and care free whilst playing outside. These adjustments are only small, however they will make a great impact on the character's look. They are also affordable and cheap to do which fits in with the post production element of Indie/Folk music videos being made on a tight budget. 

 Final Outcome:

This is the outfit that my actor is going to wear during my production. I have tried to stay close to the theme of Peter Pan, however added new elements to make the outfit more modern and current for a video set in today's culture. It gives my actor the appearance I had planned and will help the audience identify the character's relationship with the song and narrative I am trying to tell. I will need to ensure I bring all elements of the costume along to filming days as missing pieces will ruin the accuracy of the representation. 

Wendy Darling:

Like Peter, Wendy's costume is important in establishing her character. It will make the audience identify her persona and believe her involvement in the video. I want to keep her outfit the same throughout the production as I believe an outfit change will distract the audience from becoming familiar with her image as the main focus will be on Peter. In addition to this, Wendy's outfit never changes in the books or movies as she only spends one night in Neverland with Peter. The outfit I want Wendy's character to wear will be something light and girly which will fit in with the settings and context of the video. This will also portray the correct age of the character and be a more accurate representation. 

Final Outcome:

I have dressed my actress in a light pink dress, accompanied by a flower crown and white pumps. This represents her character to be dreamy and young, just like Wendy's character. It will suit the settings well and ties in with the whole indie/folk look which makes me feel confident that her costume will help portray her character well. 

Casting

Casting;

After researching about the legacy of 'Peter Pan' and creating a synopsis inspired by the well known story, I now feel confident to choose the actor to portray the protagonist in my music video. Since my narrative is based around such a classic tale with many film adaptations, it is important that I select an actor who will encourage my audience to engage with the music video as well as sticking true to the persona's characteristics. This will make the video a success and joyful to watch.

Characteristics of Peter Pan: The character of Peter Pan is described as a boastful young boy with a selfish attitude. In the novel, Peter admires himself and takes credit for other's work, especially after Wendy re-attached Peter's shadow as he congratulated himself instead of thanking her.  This shows an exaggerated representation of a child who is still very egocentric since living on his own without any real role model. When casting my actor, I will have to select someone who is confident enough to show this side of Peter's personality.

Age: Although his exact age is never established in the novel, plays or film adaptations, judging by the character's personality and being based on the author's younger brother, we assume that Peter is a young boy between the age 10-14. This again is a key concept to consider when choosing my actor as they will have to appear to be around the same age.

Physical Appearance: Throughout the original novels, the writer never confirmed Peter's appearance as he wanted to encourage the reader to use their imaginations. In Disney's animated version, Peter is famously known for having red hair, dark eyes and pointed ears. However, this image changes in the feature film of 'Peter Pan' where the actor was blonde with blue eyes. This information is useful for helping me cast the actor as I can use my own imagination and chose someone based on their performing abilities rather than their physical appearance. 

Chosen Actor:

Name: Scott
Age: 10
Interests:Football,acting,maths and XBox

I have chosen Scott to play Peter Pan in my music video as he is in a similar age range to Peter Pan and enjoys acting in school productions. He is a reliable choice and is easy to contact on unscheduled days of filming. I believe that his confidence around other people and with acting will enable him represent the persona to a high standard and help me tell the narrative of my music video successfully. 

Wendy:

Name: Ruby
Age: 12
Hobbies: horse riding, drama, reading and dance

The actress I have chosen to play Wendy is confident and passionate about acting. She attends drama school and has been in many productions at school. I feel that her personality will help bring her character of Wendy to life and engage with the audience. She is of similar age of Wendy and has similar physical appearance based on existing films that I have seen. 

Narrative Research: The Story of Peter Pan

The Story:

The original story follows a crafty, young boy who never grows up. Peter spends his never ending childhood flying around the small Island known as 'Neverland', having adventures with Native Americans, Mermaids and Pirates. He is the leader of his group, The Lost Boys and is best friends with the fairy Tinkerbell. He also has adventures outside Neverland where he meets the Darling family and be-friends the daughter, Wendy. 

Peter Pan first became popular in the 1904 play of 'Peter Pan' or also known as 'The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up' and ran until 1913.  Following the success of the play, writer J.M Barrie then adapted and expanded the play into a full length novel, naming it 'Peter and Wendy' in 1911. 

 Since then the novel has been turned into a variety of different films including Disney's 1953 animation adaptation ' Peter Pan', Steven Spielberg's 1991 live action version 'Hook' and Paramount's 2003 'Peter Pan'. 

Relation to my chosen song:

The song I have chosen is 'Higher' by Oliver Daldry. In the lyrics Oliver describes wanting to show how wonderful his home is to his girl friend. He tries and entices the listeners to visit his home by explaining how it makes him feel 'free' and 'high'. Essentially, this place will always be his safe haven no matter where his music career may take him. He uses lyrics to suggest that the listener should be liberated by nature, whether that is spending time with someone you love outside in your favourite place or embracing the beauty of the world. 

I believe that the story of Peter Pan will fit well with this song as both have interlinking themes. For example, in the song Oliver notes that he feels that his girl friend may be stressed or lonely and in order to help her over come these fears, she should visit the place that makes him happy. He hopes that by showing her this place then she too can relax and share the same love for his home as he does. This relates to the meeting of Peter and Wendy in the film adaptations of the novel. In these film, Peter tells Wendy that in order to fly (relates to the lyrics 'higher') that she needs to think happy thoughts.

There is also a lot of references to childhood in the lyrics of Higher. Lyrics including 'It calls me home' 'As time goes by' and 'Make you feel younger' all relate to Oliver's experience as a child which can also relate to the story of Peter Pan. As Peter Pan is a child who never wants to grow up and enjoys living in Neverland, this can be adapted slightly into a music video.
I also believe that this would be a good story line to follow it's strong narrative will link in with other music videos that I have analysed in the Indie/Folk genre. Although I will not have the budget and equipment to make a Hollywood film version, I can make my own interpretation of the story and make it fit in well with the song. 

'Higher' Music Video Synopsis

My music video for ‘Higher’ will follow a strong narrative. After closely watching and analysing music videos by Ed Sheeran, Catfish and The Bottlemen and Birdy, I have discovered that these artists take a more narrative approach whilst incorporating a performance element. This is done as the production can be created on a low budget and the artist can show off their musical talent by being seen playing their own instruments. They also follow Andrew Goodwin’s theory of amplifying and illustrating key lyrics to visually tell the meaning of the song to the audience.

‘Cocoon’ and ‘Give me love’ both have a strong narrative. In ‘Cocoon’ the protagonists are trapped in a rehabilitation centre and are trying to escape together whereas ‘Give me Love’ follows Cupid who is able to give out love but cannot receive it. Both of these story lines entices the audience and keeps them engaged until the end of the video.

After much thought and research, I have decided to base my music video around a well-known classic, Peter Pan. I believe that this narrative will be effective as the meaning of the story has similar themes to my chosen song. I also feel that after watching other music videos in this genre, I can take a modern twist on a classic story on a low budget and within the time I have to finish the final product.

HIGHER SYNOPSIS 

The video will begin with a young Peter Pan wondering around ‘Neverland’.  At first he is alone or sometimes seen around his friends ‘The Lost Boys’, but he is seen to feel comfortable and content. This will show off Peter’s love for his home. Although Peter enjoys his lifestyle, it is evident that he is longing for someone special to share it with other than his small group of friends.

In the second section of the video, Peter meets Wendy. Wendy is around the same age as Peter and meets him during his search for his shadow. At first Wendy is reluctant to be-friend Peter as he appears boastful and egocentric, but is later convinced to run away to Neverland with him. They soon build a strong friendship and bond over the same fears of growing up lonely, however their feelings soon develop, especially Peter’s. 
Throughout the duration of the video Peter does his very best to encourage Wendy to stay with him and shows her all the fun they can have together. Wendy enjoys rebelling against her expected role and enjoys sharing her time with Peter. As the song comes to an end, Wendy realises that although likes living in Neverland, she worries that she will never get the opportunity to grow up and experience her life if she stays. She decides to leave, but gives Peter a kiss (a thimble) and promises to return in the future. 
The video finishes with Peter reflecting back on the time he spent with Wendy, but he does not feel angry. Instead he stays in Neverland and begins to enjoy his life beforehand, waiting for Wendy to return. 

Lyric Analysis

These are the lyrics to my chosen song ‘Higher’. I have split the lyrics into 4 main sections; camera, mise-en-scene, edit and meaning of the lyric to show my understanding of the song and to start thinking about ideas for the music video.

The artist has successfully informed his listeners that this particular song is about how much he loves his home town and how he is trying to sell the qualities of the place to his girlfriend. It is here where he may have possibly found his interest for music and will always remain a special place for him despite where his career may lead. There is also a great deal of references to nature ‘the dirt I tread’ ‘above the trees and in the sky’ ‘feel the evening air’. These lyrics typically relate to the Indie Folk genre which establishes Oliver’s sound and makes him stay true to his image.

After discovering the meaning of the lyrics, I then decided to use them as inspiration for my music video. In the green, red and pink pen I have written around the lines to show my ideas and how each section will link in with the conventions for an Indie Folk music video.

To develop my ideas further I will use this piece of work as guidance to produce a detailed storyboard which will help my creativity and enable me to follow Andrew Goodwin’s theory, especially star image and cut-to-beat. It is also important that I use my knowledge from previous pieces of work that I have completed, including my music video analysis, as other music artists in this genre have similarities in their music videos which make them stand out from the rest.  

Indie Folk Mood Board: Mise-en-scene planning

This mood board has been created from a variety of different images from different indie/folk bands and their potential audience members. I have created a mood board as I believe that it would give me inspiration on what choice of clothing my actors should wear to be identified with this genre. The main image has a vintage approach and includes pieces of clothing that could be worn on a daily basis. This is an important factor to consider for my own music video as it links in with the idea that indie folk music videos are produced on a low budget and the artists focus more on the music element than their star image. 

Indie Folk Fashion 

My chosen artist Oliver Daldry wears similar clothing to these featuring on the board. If I were to include a protagonist portraying Oliver then I would have to ensure that the actor wears similar clothing to give the right impression of his star image. I will also have to consider that Oliver plays the guitar and this is a big part of his image that illustrates that he works hard to create his own work. 

Indie Pop Music Video Analysis: Ellie Goulding - On My Mind

I decided to research into Indie Pop music videos as I believed it would extend my knowledge on how different artists are represented in the music industry. Although my analysis on Ed Sheeran and Catfish and the Bottlemen gave me a clear understanding on narrative and how male artists are presented in their videos, I was unaware on the difference between the gender of the artist. In Ellie Goulding's music video for 'On My Mind' her persona struggles to over come a difficult relationship with her ex partner. The difference between the two characters is evident as the male antagonist appears to have all the control. He uses money, adultery and material items to maintain this inequality throughout the first section of the video. In addition to this, Ellie conforms to the 'Male Gaze Theory' as her lack of clothing suggests that her body is used in order to sell her music. This concept has not occurred in the videos I have previously studied for the Indie genre where male artists feel the need to expose their body to attract an audience.

Although my artist is a male and will not feature in my final edit, I believe it was important to consider the differences between the gender of the artist and whether that had an impact on the creativity of the music video. This knowledge will be useful for future projects as it has changed my perspective on how important star image is to those making music. 

Indie Folk Music Video Analysis: Ed Sheeran - Give Me Love

After completing this analysis, I have a greater understanding of Indie/Folk music videos. Although I could see that a strong story line was key in the music video 'Cocoon', doing extra research has confirmed that this is an important concept to consider. I have learnt that this type of genre tends to take a more narrative approach as it incorporates relevant visual images to help explain the meaning of the lyrics. This particular music video successfully re-tells the story of Cupid and has been adapted to fit the purpose of the song. I believe that this video is effective as the storyline entices the audience and continues to build enigma throughout. 

This has influenced by decisions on turning a well know classic story into a modern adaptation for my own music video. I believe that this will fit well for my genre and keep my audience entertained throughout.

Indie/Rock Music Video Analysis: Catfish and the Bottlemen - Cocoon

From analysing a music video which shares the same indie genre as my artist, I could see what approach they took in presenting their image. The music video itself follows a narrative approach with a great deal of references to the lyrics of the song. Although the video did not include the actual band, I can use this to my advantage as I will not have access to the artist of my chosen track which means that I have the opportunity to take a narrative approach for my own media product. 

Target Audience - Profile

After conducting my target audience research, I have created the ideal person who would enjoy my type of music video. I have taken information from my questionnaire results and have created a profile where all the answers have been merged into one person. For example, my ideal target audience would be a young female who may be a student at school/uni. I have selected this information based on the majority of my participants being female between the ages 16-20. She also attends music festivals where she enjoys seeing a variety of different music artists perform on one stage instead of going to individual concerts. Her favourite film is Love, Rosie, a romantic drama with a strong narrative following two friends falling in love. 

This person would be my ideal audience member as she represents my questionnaire results and would be a true representation of a person who is a fan of this music genre. Putting all this information into one place makes it easier for me to imagine who would listen to my chosen song and what direction I should take in order to create my final product. 

Questionnaire Results - Target Audience

Chosen Artist

My Chosen Artist - Oliver Daldry


         
(Darkness official music video)

(Official Facebook Page)

(Ticket for headline tour)

For my music video, I have chosen a track from the nineteen year old singer/songwriter Oliver Daldry. After seeing Oliver perform as the opening act at Sundown festival last year, I instantly took a liking to his indie/folk music and became a fan of his work. He has recently released his own album 'The Boy Who Fell' and has toured with the likes of James Blunt as well as headlining his first show in London in June. To keep connected with his supporters, Oliver has a wide range of social media websites such as Youtube, Twitter, Facebook and Sound Cloud that he uses to share videos, photos and information about his music.

Since finding Oliver's networking sites and watching his live performances on Youtube, I contacted him through Facebook messenger to ask for permission to create a music video to one of his tracks'.   

I have decided to use his track 'Higher' for my music video. The song is all about being liberated by nature which can be represented through love, family and friendship. The song makes countless of references to Oliver's home where he grew up and him wanting to show his loved ones how beautiful he finds it. It is a up lifting song with a mellow beat that really shows off the folk/indie genre. 

Music Video Analysis Conclusion: Kylie vs Avril

Throughout their music careers, both Kylie and Avril have changed their star image in order to compete with existing female artists and to keep up to date with the changing trends. As Kylie triumphed the image change successfully and is still known as one of the sexiest female pop artists of all time, Avril’s same image has had mixed reviews and has not been deemed popular by all her fans.  

When Kylie decided to switch her acting career for a singing career, her image very important due to the character she played on the Australian soap drama. As her character was a favourite role model to teens and young adults, her image had to relate to them in order to sell copies. “I Should Be So Lucky” was an instant hit with her target audience and made her a real competitor in the music charts across the world. As Kylie’s music career became more successful, so did her image. By evolving her image from ‘the girl next door’ into a woman meant that Kylie grew up with her fans and understood how to keep them loyal supporters. Today Kylie is still very popular in the charts and is an international role model to women and teenagers unlike many artists around her time who have faded away. It was the change of image at the right times that enabled Kylie to keep building on her success and to make her as iconic as she is.

Avril’s star image in 2000 was against the mainstream image for celebrity women. As she was competing with the likes of Britney Spears who was your all American sweetheart, Avril’s image stood out to those who were not fans of the stereotypical pop star.  By being a tom boy who was shot playing music with her band and wearing clothes and make up that was against the grain enabled Avril to secure a spot in the charts and gain an army of supporters. Throughout her career, Avril stayed true to her roots and was different to any other teenage female singer. However, after taking a break from music and coming back with a new album, her image stayed the same which was a major downfall. While many critics accused Avril to be acting ‘too immature’ and delivering ‘careless and racial’ messages in her music videos, she defended herself by admitting she only wanted to have fun and show her obsession with Hello Kitty.

For some artists such as Kylie, changing her image was beneficial and gave her a long lasting legacy in the music industry; however by failing to change and growing up with the audience proves unpopular. By Avril sticking with the immature image instead of growing up resulted in a fall in her chart success and left doubt in her fans. 

Avril Lavigne - Star Image

Kylie Minogue - Star Image

Conventions and Codes for Indie/Folk Music

Conventions and Codes for Indie/Folk Music

As my chosen artist falls under the music genre indie/folk, I have decided to analyse what the conventions are for this category. This is so I can produce an accurate visual for the track which looks professional and realistic. 

Settings:
Indie/folk music videos are usually low budgeted. Settings such as parks, pubs, cities, recording studios etc are used which creates mystery and surprise, yet also fits in the budget. The settings are easy to locate and very effective. Artists such as Ed Sheeran filmed the majority of 'A Team' in a city without a massive finance. 



Performance:
Most of these music videos include a performance. This illustrate the artists to be talented musicians who are passionate about their music. Instead of performing at busy clubs and festivals, they are usually performing somewhere more quiet which shows that they are more passionate about their interest in music than their success.


Narrative:
This genre is famous for it's narrative music videos which links the visual images to the lyrics (Andrew Goodwin's Theory - Amplify). The story line illustrates the track which engages the audience and keeps them entertained through the duration of the track. 

Costume:
The costume and make-up used usually links in with the settings and the story line. Together, the basic costumes help create a realistic character that the audience can relate to.

Sound:
Although the main use of sound is the non diegetic sound of the track, diegetic sound can be used effectively throughout. It is usually at the start of the music video where the artist will explain parts of the story line or during the music video as a distorted or faded sound.

Camera:
In folk/indie music videos, there is a big use of close-ups and extreme close-ups. Due to the narriative performance in the video, the close-ups allows the audience to see the emotion and facial expressions the artists/actors wear to make the visual representation more realistic.
There are also a variety of long shots which establishes the settings and focuses on the artist and their star image. Usually these shots involve the musicians playing an instrument.
Handheld shots are effective for when shooting scene which involve flashbacks or memory scenes.

Edits:
Usually, a filter will be added on top of a clip to make it appear rustic and vintage. This is very common in indie/folk music and helps illustrates the story line and sets emotion.
The shots are edited to the pace of the music. If the music speeds up, the numbers of shots will increase and the quicker they are whereas if the music slows down, the clips tend to last longer.

Music Video Conventions - Indie Folk, R&B and Country

From this piece of research, I now have a clear understanding of the stereotypical conventions used in indie folk, country and R&B music videos. Each type of genre are very different from one another and they all have certain elements which makes the videos stand out. While indie folk and country focus on the narrative side of the music, R&B sells their tracks through imagery and fancy visual effects.

As my artist is an indie folk singer, I have basic background information that I can now build upon in more detail. I can rule out the other genres and their conventions to produce something that sticks closely to my chosen one. 

Overall Music Video Conventions

Overall Music Video Conventions

In a typical music video, these are the main factors that you will expect to see:

• The artist
• Non diegetic sound (the music track)
• The visual image reflecting the music
• The story line
• Image of the artist 
• Shots edited to the beat
• Variety of angles

The artist:

In most music videos, the artist is continuously shown throughout the duration of the song. This is to help promote their singles and and persuade their audience to listen to the track.

In Miley Cyrus' music video for 'Wrecking Ball', she is featured in every single shot. By including her through the video encourages big fans of hers to view it and eventually buy the song. For her, her star image helps her sell her records.

However, this rule does not apply for every single artist. For singer/song writer Ed Sheeran, he appears very little in most of his music videos. In 'Give Me Love' Ed only appears in a cafe drinking coffee and the main focus stays on the actress playing cupid. This signifies that he sells his music without the need of his image being involved in the music videos. 

The visual image reflecting the music:

In the majority of videos, most artist create a direct link between the music, lyrics and actions. This is called amplifying. In 5 Seconds of Summer's music video for 'She Looks So Perfect', the directer has included this technique to bring the lyrics to life and to visually help the audience to create a link. 

 "She looks so perfect standing there
In my American Apparel underwear." 

"I've got your ripped skinny jeans lying on the floor."







Story line:

Some music videos even create story lines to go along with their track. This helps create a visual scenario for the viewers and makes them understand the lyrics more clearer. If the music video has a strong story line, then it is more likely to attract the audience's attention and persuades them to watch the whole video, even if they are not too keen on the track itself. Wheatus' music video for 'Teenage Dirtbag' is based around a story line between a boy and girl inside a high school and has a similar resemblance to movies in America, making it enjoyable to watch.

Star Image: 

In every music video, the artist has a strong star image, whether that's musically or physically. The star image allows an artist to express their creative flare to their target audience and make them appealing. Michael Jackson's star image is still memorable in today's music industry. As the creator of the moon walk and the white glove, Jackson's legacy still influences artists and directors around the world and has had an impact of individuals creativity. It was his star image that separated him from other male singers and enabled him to sell as many singles as he did. 
                                                                         

                                                                                               











Shots edited to beat:

Music videos are usually filmed around the beat of a song. The clips are cut and edited as soon as the music slow downs or speeds up, which makes it more natural to watch. 

Variety of camera shots and angles:

Most music videos have a variety of angles and shots. This helps set emotion and creates the a certain effect on the audience. A pop music video usually has lots of close ups to show off the artists whereas dance videos have lots of long shots to show off everyone dancing and having fun.