Characters and Actors

USE OF CHARACTERS AND ACTORS

A teenage girl with a dreary and unfulfilling life turns to her 'brightly coloured' dreams for exhilarant adventures beyond her bleak reality.

As explained in the pitch the protagonist of this music video will be a teenage girl. This is because of a series of factors. As the genre of the track is Pop/Alternative Rock the main age demographic for the video is expected to be young people. Example of other bands of similar genre sharing this same demographic audience are One Direction and Fall out Boy. 

Protagonist

The protagonist for the music video is inspired by intertextual reference, "I Could Be The One" by artist Avicii because of it's bleak portrayal of reality contrasted with a hyper-energetic representation of a day-dream sequence the performer has to escape mundane life. In this particular instance a female star performer is used to create a sense of comedy, (challenging the pop genre convention of representing women in a sexualised manner), something of which attributes to attract a younger audience who are likely to be more interested in less heavy themes within a music video, (comedy making the narrative more light hearted). The actress in Avicii's video also has a very alternative look which is something we are going to similarly going to going to attain in order to create more of a realistic and relatable appearance, not conforming to mainstream beauty standards.
By referring to this 'alternative' look through intertextuality we can create a sense of 'relation' to the adolescent female audience. Anyone who may feel socially recluse or outcast can therefore relate to over-exaggerated version of themselves portrayed in a comedic fashion.

Not stereotypically thin or immediately attractive and appealing.

Resting unamused and comic face.



ACTRESS:

Lauren Bryant, aged 17 (A.K.A me)


The decision to cast myself was based on appearance as well as availability, I have a thorough understanding of what we want to achieve and have many past experiences within acting and the arts, currently studying Theatre Studies at A-Level. The only downside to this casting is that I may not be able to have such a hands of approach to filming as much as others within my group, but in setting aside story boards I will be able to dictate some of the shoot. 

Imaginary Friend

When we came to casting this part we had the idea to use someone who had an appearance almost akin to mine. Imaginary friends are said to be created in a person's perfect image of themselves, (to comfort, guide and inspire), or of what they strive to be, this doesn't necessarily mean to look like them, but this is how we interpreted it. Therefore in this video the character of the imaginary friend is the evolved and contented version of the protagonist who is able to live an exciting life, and is encouraging the protagonist to do the same. 


ACTRESS

Molly Cutter, aged 17

Luckily actress Molly Cutter and I are somewhat similar in appearance and therefore we enlisted her help to play this optimistic character. She is an experience actress with an arrange of past credits and is currently taking A-Level Theatre Studies.

Supporting Characters

A series of four other characters were cast for the production of this music video. Two to be the opposing team to the protagonist in the paint war scene, a chauffeur to the Mustang in the 60's sequence and a boyfriend to the protagonist. 

BOY AND GIRL IN PAINTWAR SEQUENCE
It was intentional that the two actors we used for this instance looked physically similar as the protagonist and her imaginary friend share similar appearances. Both actors have blonde hair and blue eyes and appear generally complementary. The contrast between the protagonist's team being brunette and the opposing team being blonde was a nice visual variation also. 


ACTOR

Marcus Day, aged 17

Marcus' appearance is what made him the appropriate choice for this casting, as well as his reliability having assisted upon several shoots for me both academically and for extra curricular projects in the past, therefore aware of the dedication and patience it requires whilst shooting.


ACTRESS

Abbie Hiscox, aged 17

Abbie is in our production group and therefore would be present the day of the shoot anyway, making her a logical member to cast. Her appearance also fits the criteria we want for this sequence, (blonde hair, blue eyes) and she has a clear comprehension of what we intend to obtain on the day of the shoot of the 'paint war'. Abbie also takes A-Level drama.

CHAUFFEUR 

ACTOR

Ronald Bond, aged 77

The chauffeur character in this video was created purely out of practicality as it made sense for the Mustang to quite obviously have a driver. This part was played by my Grandfather, the proud owner of the car.

BOYFRIEND

ACTOR

James Coy, aged 17

The protagonist's boyfriend is not a big part of the plot but we wanted to try to make sure the protagonist and him appeared 'couple like' in appearance. We enlisted the help of a fellow media student James for the shoot.

Initial Storyboarding

As director of the first sequence of the music video I have created a series of desired shots and sequences I hope to shoot, as well as appearing in the video also.

Afrika Shox - Case Study

This Is Gospel- Intertextual Case Study

Her Morning Elegance- Intertextuality Case Study

Shooting Schedule #1

Extracurricular

I make Youtube videos on an adhoc basis for my own amusement, but media studies has helped incorporate different shot types and editing techniques to apply to my, in all honesty, mediocre attempts at comedy/parody.

I took it upon myself one day to make a parody of the film Twilight, for no specific reason other than I wanted to take the mick. In this particular video I use a variation of shots and editing techniques. In the opening, a hand held panning shot is cross editing with a mid shot of myself to present the bright saturation and lushness of the surrounding forest. I use a series of close ups as well partnered with long shots and mid shots. The non diegetic sound and soundtrack from the film I have edited in to start at specific points in time to try and emphasize comedy, stopping abruptly in certain places where the fourth wall in broken to signify the 'story' is no longer taking place.

Locations for Music Video

Initial Ideas for Music Video

Pitch for Music Video

A teenage girl with a dreary and unfulfilling life turns to her 'brightly coloured' dreams for exhilarant adventures beyond her bleak reality.

Andrew Goodwin's Music Video Theory

Andrew Goodwin's Theory of Music Videos

The essence of Andrew Goodwin's music video theory is that every genre of music generally produces a somewhat stereotypical music video reflective of that genre. Goodwin also insists there are 5 key aspects that go into producing a music video:

Genre Characteristics in Music Videos:  For example, a live performance of a song acting as a music video is often linked to heavy rock or metal or a slower contemporary artist. A pop song often involves bright colours and dance routines and rap exploits the rapper's wealth and desirability by involving groups of women in little to no clothes and expensive locations/vehicles/jewellery. Female artists typically use more close ups and back up dancers, the after effects used to make female artists appear more soft and feminine, whereas the saturation and contrast are altered in the edit for male artists to make them appear more rugged and masculine.

Pitbull-"Live it up" video
(Rap)

Adele-"Someone like you" video
(Contemporary)

Cheryl Cole- "Parachute" video (feminine glow)

Justin Timberlake- "Mirrors" video (brooding contrast)

Relationship between music and visuals- By this Goodwin implies that the edit should be synchronous to the beat of the song. The cuts will be made strategically on particular beats to make the video flow more smoothly. The rhythm coincides with the cuts and effects.

Relationship between the lyrics and the visuals- This could be interpreted literally or objectively. Literally could be portraying the exact scenario written about in the song, or objectively could be taking the video and making it resemblant of anything depicted in the lyrics. This is quite often done with dance or pop tracks that don't have so many lyrics. 

• Illustrate: Using specific images and shots to literally illustrate and portray the meaning of the lyrics and the genre.
• Disjunctive: Objectively ignoring the original meaning of the song.
• Amplify: A series of shots or images that are repeated throughout in order to form more of a lasting or dramatic meaning to the audience.   

Barbra Streisand by Duck Sauce is an example of a video which does not really connect song to visuals, as the sole lyrics of the song is the name "Barbra Streisand" repeated. The video is shot in New York, where Barbara spent the majority of her life and career, and opens with a quote from an actress imitating Barbra herself speaking about the prosperity of the city. This is further reinforced by everyone featured in the video being seen to have a good time. Although this quote is used in the video, it is not used on the actual track therefore it doesn't relate "lyrics" to visuals. Ethnic minority groups are shown throughout the video, perhaps in representation of her Jewish roots making her also a minority. Despite these factors no tribute is really made to her Broadway career, filmography or personal life contrary to the fact her name is the title and sole lyrics of the track. 

 

Intertexuality- Intertexuality is vastly important in the production of a music video, whether this inspiration has come from a painting, film, location, book or even another music video. Developing already existing motifs in a music video can attract a vaster audience as well as engage an audience's attention. 

 

 

"Voyeuristic view"- Goodwin believes the idea of incorporating the "male gaze" is important to the success of attracting a male audience. This idea of "looking" and "watching" can be presented through the voyeuristic objectification of the female body and presenting other various things that stereotypically appeal to men; e.g cars, partying, technology ect. It is also presented through the notion of the artist looking directly into the camera, this connecting the performer to their audience. This same concept can also be presented through literal looking, motifs such as windows, mirrors, telescopes and screens within screens can add depth to videos.

Jason Derulo's music video "Want you to want me" has features of the "male gaze".




Star Image or Protagonist- Much like creating a connection between artist and audience, Goodwin believes a protagonist can do the same job. The protagonist can be played by an actor or the artist. If one character is followed throughout a video and is the centre of attention a bond can be made and audience members can become invested, therefore electing more of a positive response toward the video. The "Star Image" is generally presented in a unique way to everyone else in the video in order to maintain the attention, this can be through movement, costume and appearance. 

Telephone by Lady Gaga shows Gaga as the lead protagonist, her narrative being what the audience follows throughout. Gaga portrays a character in this video but still appears to sing her lyrics to the audience therefore creating the "performance of the song" between artist and audience that Goodwin enjoys. Lego House by Ed Sheeran shows Rupert Grint as the protagonist and it is his narrative we follow. Although Rupert is in no way acting as Ed he stills sings to the camera, creating a more personal feel and appealing comical effect which could lead to promotion of the video.

Unrelevant to Goodwin I also believe that tech in a music video is vastly important. I believe that the mise en scene, editing and special effects are what make a good music video, a great music video. Changing colour saturations and contrasts can thoroughly alter the tone and mood of a video, this technique can also be used to emphasize certain moments, to dramatize, to sadden, to thrill ect. The editing should also coincide with the rhythm of the track being used, cuts should be preferably made to the beat of the track in order to produce a smooth and entertaining finish.