The Song and Genre
The song I chose for my music video was Tickle Me Pink by an
artist named Johnny Flynn. His music typically focuses on the folk genre
including different sub genres such as indie folk and country folk which is the
genre of the song I have chosen. The style for my music video is narrative with
slight portion of performance. This is to tell the story my main character who
is escaping from his mundane, boring, and stressful life back in the city. The
video narrates his story to happiness and to do this, I have had to think about
and include many different aspects such as different editing styles, different
types of cuts, camera shots, characters position in the shots and many other
subtle details such as location, props, and clothes. All these aspects have
allowed me to create meaning in my video.
The majority of folk surrounds the theme of the ideology of
freedom and escaping old, boring lives for new, free ones. You see many
conventions in folk music videos to convey this meaning of freedom. A
convention commonly seen is a natural, bright sky and good weather behind the
character to add to the effect of being outside and free with the sun and
bright sky behind them. A code you see in folk music videos are jump cuts in
the chorus to see the passing of time and journeys to happiness. In folk music
videos where the concept is freedom, you tend to see a lot of bright yellows
and oranges and colours of nature as folk music is all about the appreciation
of the environment. You also see many different camera shots such as master
shots of any performances and close ups of instruments along with wide shots
and extreme wide shots of the character and nature. All these aspects must then
be created and linked together with editing to create this meaning of freedom.
Target Audience
The target audience for the folk genre are people who live a
very free, slightly rebellious lifestyle who enjoy the deep meanings of life
along with enjoying the diversion and escapism of folk music which my music
video completely conforms to. This is because it has a deep story linking to
the lyrics and is all about freedom and happiness to allow the audience to
divert from their everyday lives and escape. I wanted my music video to conform
to folk’s target audience, therefore making my music video about a man who is
tired of his old life and has gone on a journey to freedom, along this journey
he feels moments of guilt and isolation after leaving the people he knew and
what he once called home, he made two new friends, and he found the place that
he belongs: free and in the countryside.
Mise-en-scene
Clothing
I tried to link the characters personality and the
environment which surrounded him together with his clothes. To show his
personality and what kind of a person he is I decided for him to wear casual
clothes which were yet appropriate for the terrain and journey he was going on.
You can see that he is wearing walking boots which will help with the hills and
hazards he will encounter on his journey, he is wearing slightly baggy jeans to
add a more casual look of the outfit as the weather he is in is good and only
needs comfortable, casual legwear. He is wearing a green hoodie with a yellow
inside to further add to this casual look as he will still be nice and warm
when not in very high-tech, expensive outdoor clothes. The same goes for his
blue lumber jack jacket; lumberjack jackets are linked to the outdoors as
lumberjacks would wear them whilst chopping down trees, so I included this to
add to the slightly old-fashioned, outdoor, yet relaxed and comfortable look.
Finally, he wears a yellow beany as a simple way to add extra warmth. Overall,
he is a very casual, relaxed and slightly old-fashioned individual who has a
passion for being free and being in the outdoors away from civilisation,
enjoying nature and appreciating the environment.
I also wanted to link the characters clothes to his
environment, by making each piece of clothing symbolise different colours and
parts of the environment. His jeans and jacket symbolise the blue sky and water
he is surrounded by such as ponds and streams as they are both blue. His boots
represent the soil and mud he stands and walks on as they are brown, his green
hoodie represents the grass, plants, and trees he is surrounded by due to its
dark green colour and finally the hat and inside of the hoodie link to the
bright sun shining down on him. Overall, all these colours match the colour of
the environment, further showing that he is devoted to having his life free in
the countryside, away from all the civilisation and people who destroy the
world and that he truly appreciates nature.
Props
He brings a collection of belongings with him which are used
as props in the video. He carries a large backpack where, in the story, he
carries all the other props you see in the video (In reality, I was carrying
them all), and all the extra stuff you need on a journey which you do not see
in the video. I have included this to show that he is prepared for his journey
and further show his devotion for his new life. Other pieces of equipment you
see is a map shown in verse 1 which he is using to navigate himself, and I
included this to a add a subtle, slightly comedic scene where he is going the
wrong way and turns around. Another little detail you can see is that the map
is indeed a map of the area we filmed in. He carries a tent with him which is
his new, make-shift home which you see in the opening scene and end scene. The
tent was included to show that he is really committed to the journey he is
going on and that if you are passionate about something, you will do anything
for it - such as giving up a comfortable, stable home with everything you need.
Finally, he brings a hair along with him – this is included just as a little
decoration and to show that he does need some comfort and isn’t just sitting on
the dirty ground or rocks all the time.
Brief Overview of Location, Camera Work and Edits
Location
There are two distinct locations in my music video, the
first is the one you see the most which is the countryside. I have based my
video in the countryside as this is where he is escaping to and going on his
journey, however there are sub-locations in the video which are different
scenes shown in the different verses, instrumentals, choruses etc. shown in the
video which I will go more into detail on later. The second location is a
slightly more built-up area which includes houses, roads and cars which is only
seen in verse 4. I have included this location to show his ascend back up to
the countryside after his guilt overcame him and he went back down into the
valley. Meaning, that he is stronger than the guilt he is feeling and belongs
up where is he is free and must be there.
Camera Work
One of the main aspects of my music video is nature, so I
wanted to be able to show it through the different camera shots. I did this by
using lots of wide and extreme wide shots, to show the environment which the
character was in and how beautiful it was. I also wanted to show the character’s
emotion such as guilt and remorse or freedom and relaxation. I did this by
using close-ups of his face. Close ups were also used in parts of the video where
the object you saw was important and added to the story such as the map or
notebook or was a convention of the folk genre such as the close ups of
instruments. I included master shots of different characters in the
instrumentals to focus in on the characters with a view above them of nature to
show their location and allow for the main character to be seen walking past in
one of the instrumentals. I included other shots such as over the shoulder
shots, mid shots, and medium close ups to further show the characters emotion
and his journey. In the shots I conformed to the rule of thirds and gave him enough
head room and looking distance to show he is looking forward and looking
forward into his journey. In a lot of shots, you can see Rory looking into the
distance. I included this to symbolise that he in looking into the future of
his journey. In a few shots you can see that the composition of the shot is not
necessarily complying to the rule of thirds and has very little looking
distance, such as in the opening scene and verse 3. This is to symbolise the
fact that he does not know what will occur and he is wondering what will happen
as it progresses.
Edits
o to be lighter, I did this by using colour boards on FCP. I also used the option to ‘Balance Colour’ on FCP. Finally, I used the option to ‘Match Colour’ from one shot to another, which would give all the shots a very similar look in a very simple way. The two options would allow me to give each shot a more aesthetically pleasing disposition to further create this relaxing and calm look to give a comforting feeling to the viewer to relate to how the character felt in his new environment on his journey.
Individual Scenes and Their Meanings
Opening Scene
In the opening scene, the first shot you see in the opening scene in Rory (the main character) sat in front of his tent high up on the moor. This is to show the start of his journey and that he has already slightly begun it. I included this because I wanted to show him from a starting point in the video and show how committed he is by giving up a normal lifestyle and instead living in a small tent. Next you see him packing up his tent and it flies away – this was added as a little comedic affect but also to show him going from stationary to moving. This scene is a small montage to show the progression of him packing away his tent and getting on his journey, as in the folk genre it is a common convention to show montages. The tone and colour for this darker to the rest of the chorus – this is to show that it is the morning, and he is getting up very early to start is journey, further showing who passionate he is to achieve his freedom and escape.
Verse 1
In the first scene you see a continuity sequence of Rory
walking, check his map, look up and turn back around. I included this to add a
little comedic part the music video to take away from the seriousness and deep
meaning behind the story, to keep the video casual and relaxed. The location
you can see is in a wooded area and I did this to show him near the start as he
is not near the top of the valley.
Verse 2
In the second verse Rory is sat on a rock looking into the
distance. This is followed by a medium close-up of Rory taking a deep breath
and then reverting to the original shot followed by him walking away. This is
symbolising the guilt he is feeling from leaving everything and the people he
loved behind, which links to the lyrics ‘time is too early, my hair isn’t
curly, I wish I was home and tucked away’. The deep breath is included as a
self-comforting method to be able to build up the confidence to get up and
carry on his journey which you see when he walks away. I made sure that he got
up and walked off as the line ‘what you need is a sunny, sunny day’ played to
show him walking into the sun and to link to pathetic fallacy, that he will
feel better in the sun.
Verse 3
In the third verse you see Rory resting at a waterfall. You
can see an over the shoulder shot of him holding a notebook and pen on his lap.
As the line ‘then I can have a brand-new start’ plays you can see Rory ticking
the final tick box on the page titled ‘New Start’, this is to physically show
that he in on a journey and having a brand-new start once the journey is
completed. The fact that he is written it down and brought it with him further
shows his devotion and passion for what he believes and what will make him
happy, allowing the audience to know that you should do whatever makes you
happy in life. I used the ‘ken burns’ effect (zooming in effect) to initially
show the over the shoulder shot, and then zoom in further so you are able to
read what it says on the page.
Choruses
Rory is seen walking throughout all the choruses – this is
to show that his journey is very long, and he is mostly walking and needs to
get to his destination to be happy and free. A shot plays each line and cuts on
beat when the next line begins. I used this method and the use of jump cuts to
show the passing of time and further demonstrate how long his journey is. The
use of jump cuts also keeps up with the pace of the chorus as they chorus is
very fast compared to the verses.
The final chorus is longer than all the others and once it
reaches the part where it becomes longer, you can see an extreme wide shot
which zooms out using the ken burns effect. This is to represent how far he has
come and how much effort, time, and strength it has taken him to get to his
happy place. you can see that Rory is smiling in a few shots. This is to show
he knows that his journey is nearly over, and he is happy to almost be free.
Finally, the chorus begins to fade, and you can see Rory with not expression on
his face as he is walking at a slower place. This is to symbolise the shock and
realisation that he has finally made it.
Initially, in the final chorus Rory was supposed top start running during the extreme wide shot with the zoom out effect. This was originally to show his excitement and anticipation to get to his destination and that he couldn’t wait any longer. However, during the shoots I decided him running would be impractical as he would be wearing a very large bag which, if it was real, he would be carrying a lot of heavy gear. It would be dangerous as he could easily trip due to the uneven surface of the ground.
Instrumentals
Each instrumental after a chorus shows the scene of two
other characters sat on a bench. These people symbolise the good things that
come with taking your life into your own hands and doing what makes you happy
because throughout the video he makes friends with them. In the first instrumental you just see the two
characters – this was to introduce them. Next, you see Rory walking past them –
this was to subtly introduce Rory into that scene and tie the two different
parts of the video together: Rory walking by himself, and this scene on the
bench. In the next instrumental you see Rory talking with the other two
characters – this is to show them making friends. Finally, during the final
chorus, they are all seen dancing together, this is to further show that good
that comes from doing what makes you happy and that other people will feel the
same as you and that you are not alone.
Ending scene
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