R+P Post 21: My key shots storyboard

After finishing our timeline we used it to create our storyboard. To do this we got a piece of sugar paper and different coloured post-it notes which would represent different shot types (e.g long/mid/close-ups). We didn't storyboard every single shot, instead we decided on storyboarding our key shots and set-ups. Here is a photo of our finished storyboard.

Our Key Shots Storyboard

We decided to split it into four sections: Narrative shots , On location shots, Studio shots and Dance shots. Below are some photos of each section in more detail.

Studio Shots

Dance Shots

Location Shots

For the narrative we did storyboard all of the shots as it is an important part of our video. It helped us to ensure the narrative worked and that we didn't leave any shots out.

Narrative Shots

By colour coding the shot types it helped us to realise when we didn't have enough of one type of shot and so we could adapt and change our ideas slightly to make sure there was variety. It also helped us to check if we were following music video conventions by having dramatic shot changes (e.g from an long shot to a close up). Furthermore we also decided that we are going to film each location shot as a long, mid and close up so we have as many options as possible when it comes to editing.

Ultimately I feel like the storyboarding process has been really useful as we now know our key set ups and have a visual reference for all of our shots. This will be important when it comes to making our shootboard as we can guarantee to get the all of the shots we need. 

R+P Post 20: My Music Video Timeline

Our next step was to create a timeline of our whole music video. We did this by sticking A4 pieces of paper together and drawing three different tracks along them. The first track was for the lyrics, the second was for the images/shot types and the third was for lighting. Below is a photo of the whole timeline

We used our steal-o-matic as a guideline for the first 2 minutes and then we continued to add and decide on what shots would come next and how long they'd last. We listened to the track whilst creating the timeline not only to ensure that our timings were correct but also so that we could make sure to cut to the beat as much as we could. Because we have put the lyrics on the track as well, we know exactly which shots would be narrative or dance based and how much of the song doesn't require lip-sync. As lighting is an important factor of our video, having a lighting track meant that we could pin down exactly how many different lighting set-ups we will have and which shots they will involve.

We also broke it down by the structure of the song. We marked the end of the verses, pre-choruses and choruses so we knew what was happening in each section. 

Intro, First Verse and Bridge

First Chorus, Second Verse and Bridge

Second Chorus, Dance break

Final Bridge, Final Chorus

Overall I found the process of creating the timeline extremely useful as it helped us to plan out our video in detail and it has compiled all of our ideas in one place. It also means that we know exactly what shot is happening at each point of the song. This will be beneficial when it comes to editing our video and it will help us save time. 

R+P Post 19: My influences and vision for the project

For the project we created a Steal-o-matic. This is a video of images and clips that are from other music videos that we have been inspired by. It also represents the ideas we have in terms of shot order, lighting ideas and the mix of narrative and performance. Below is the video we made.

I think that the video represents the narrative and performance shots we are going for. It also clearly reflects the lighting ideas we have for the lip-sync, dance breaks and silhouettes. 

I also really like the performance lip-sync shots we included as they really show emotion and I would like for us to be able to convey that amount of emotion through our lip-sync shots.

We were also able to represent our creative ideas such as the use of a screen to create a shadowy figure. 

Overall I think that producing the steal-o-matic has been really beneficial for us as it has allowed us to compile all of our ideas and see if the work with the music. It's also made us realise exactly what we want in our video. In addition to this we have now planed out our shots in more detail and figured out their order and length.

R+P Post 18: Analysis of my track's lyrics and instrumentation

Once we had decided on our song we wrote out the lyrics on a piece of sugar paper and annotated it with our original shot ideas for each line as well as our interpretation of the lyrics.

Lyric Analysis and initial ideas

As our lyrics lend themselves to creating a narrative, we have come up with a loose narrative involving our artist as the main character. The song is about his girlfriend cheating on him with another man. 

• Beginning: The artist is looking back on the good times he had with his girlfriend. This section will feature cute couple shots with the two of them in a home environment, ending with the girl leaving the room. 
• Middle: Montage of shots of the girl with another guy, in a park or at his house. 
• End: The artist and the girl have an argument, he confronts her about the cheating. They break up and the artist ends as the bigger person by walking away after forgiving the girl. 

To use Goodwin's theory about the relationship between the lyrics and the image, we plan to match our shots to the lyrics through both narrative and performance. For example on "some other guy" or "I found out from him" we wanted to have a shot of the girl with another guy. We can either do this through the narrative or having a creative shot where the are shadows or silhouettes.

Additionally we can match the artists performance shots with the lyrics by having his actions match the words. For instance when it says "keep messing with my head" we can have him point to his head. Another example would be pointing directly at the camera on the word "you". Below is an annotated version of the lyrics with actions that our main character can do whilst lip-syncing.

Lyrics with planned actions

The song has a steady pace throughout with clear regular drum beats which will be useful for cutting to the beat. It also has a distinct synth melody that is repeated throughout. This steady rhythm will be good for dance breaks as well.

R+P Post 17: My Chosen Track

The track we have decided on is 'Cry Me A River' by Justin Timberlake. It was written by Justin Timberlake, Timothy Mosely and Scott Storch and produced by Timbaland (as well as having his vocals featured). It was released on 25th November 2002 by Jive Record Label. It is said to have been inspired by Justin's break up with Britney Spears.

We decided on this song because we really liked it and we were coming up with a lot of ideas for both the possible performance and narrative sides. Additionally we thought that the lyrics meant that we could be creative with our shots and try some more conceptual artistic shots. 

Below is a table of Pros and Cons for the track.

In order to use the song we have to think about its copyright. To request permission we emailed Sony Music Entertainment - the parent company of Jive Records (which has since been taken over by RCA Records in 2009). Below is a copy of the email that Sian sent to them on behalf of our group. We have not yet heard a reply and so are presuming that it is ok to use for our project.

The email that was sent to Sony Music Entertainment

R+P Post 16: My Band or Artist

Our artist is called AJ and he is a 19 year old R&B singer-songwriter from London. 

We decided on this name as it is quite catchy and follows the trend of R&B artists having one name titles (e.g Usher, Ne-Yo). In addition to this, the name was well received by members of our target audience when asked for feedback. 

Although some of his songs would be about relationships and romance, his music is not defined by these kinds of love songs. AJ is very open about mental health issues having suffered from depression himself and is keen to raise awareness and help support people who are affected by it. Therefore we also hope that his songs are inspirational and moving and tackle difficult subject matters, such as mental health, in order to really create a sense of escapism through his music. We really wanted our artist to be passionate about music and for his songs to represent his feelings and emotions. This contrasts with the current music trend of the majority of songs being about sex, money or drugs and therefore makes him stand out. 

Similar to Stuart from 'The Internship'

In terms of his personality, AJ is intelligent, fun, outgoing, goofy and awkward - a lovable geek. These traits aren't typically associated with R&B artists and so we hope that this is part of what makes AJ a unique artist in the genre and helps him to stand out. We also want him to be a role model to younger audiences and relatable to teens and young adults.

Raleigh Ritchie and Ne-Yo inspired us a lot when deciding on who our artist was and how we are going to represent him.

Influences

It is important that we can establish a clear brand image for AJ through his debut single, album cover and website to ensure that the audience understand who he is as an artist which will help them to relate to and enjoy his music.

R+P Post 15: My Record Label

Our Logo

Our record label is called Innovate Records. We decided to use the word innovate as it best describes what we wanted from a record label. The word innovate is defined as "to make changes in something established, especially by introducing new methods, ideas or products". We wanted our record label to be able to take something old (such as the old school R&B genre) and revamp it into something more current and exciting. 

Innovate also means "to introduce something new" which is why it is a good name for a label who is helping to new artists launch new artists into the music industry. 

We wanted our record label to help artists to be:

• Focused and dedicated
• Creative
• Inspirational
• Relatable 
• Unique

Grand Hustle Records logo

We have also decided that our record label would be founded by Rita Ora - a music artist who is already signed to Atlantic Records (a subsidiary of Warner Music Group) and so it would be a sub-label of Atlantic Records. This was inspired by other small record labels that have been founded by artists such as Grand Hustle Records (created by hip-hop artist T.I). He has discovered and signed artists such as B.o.B and Travis Scott. We thought that being discovered by an established recording artist would be a good way for our artist to be signed and introduced. 

Our Record Label Structure