Evaluation

Media evaluation

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Magazine Advert

Album Cover

Story Board

Ideas for Album Cover

Possible Images for Album Cover/ Advert

These are images from the final scene of the music video, the black and white effect on the images represents the idea of good vs evil within the characters life; with the majority being in black reflecting the idea of him being the antagonist. Whilst for the back of the album cover an image of the alleyway empty would be used to keep with the theme of the image. If I use one of these images as the main feature of the album cover it may also be the main image for the magazine advert or as a secondary image.

Magazine Advert Ideas

Magazine adverts often use a similar theme to the album covers, with many using similar images or the same image for both magazine and advert. The theme often runs into the artwork shown in the advertising in magazines and other media. This means that I would feature the album cover on the magazine advert, as either the main image or as a secondary image. This has been done in similar adverts like “Plan B’s”, “The Foals” and “Gorilaz” adverts, where the album cover has been used as an advert for the album.

For the magazine advert my idea is to use the image from the album cover as either the main image or as a picture on it, which is important because it shows how the theme is consistent and that the audience will know that it is for this product. However, if an image from the video is used on the album cover for the band, an image from the same scene of the music video could be used, which would show a consistent theme on both the album cover, and magazine advert.

There is normally simplistic text used on the adverts, which often provide secondary information to the audience about the band, with this text normally being about tour dates or the albums reviews. The font for the adverts is also normally simplistic, with bold white font being mainly used in adverts I have researched. The font I will use will be used on both the album cover and the magazine advert to show the theme is running between the two visual products. It is important for this text to be simplistic like on the previous covers and adverts for the band.

Album Cover Initial Ideas

There are several conventions of album covers that I have researched; rock band Rage Against the Machine used a simplistic graffiti image, Fat Boy Slim’s album used comedy which relates to his act and music, and The Clash used an image from one of there tours. The Clash’s album cover for “London Calling” has become and iconic image, the image shows guitarist Paul Simonon smashing his guitar against the stage. The album cover also has vast similarities with Elvis Pressely’s first album because the text font is identical and the image on Elvis’s album being him playing live.

Previous album covers by the Kings Of Leon have been focussed on being of one object or setting, whilst they have also used images of themselves. The album because of the times uses a split image idea, with four images being used on the cover, which I think is one of the bands most effective covers. The 2007 album “because of the times” uses an image of a light bulb smashing, if I followed this then I would use an image of an everyday object that would best reflect the mood of the video. Or I would use an image of an object from the video. Whilst their recent album cover shows a paradise island at sunset which links to the title of the album “Come Around Sun Down”. 

An idea that I have had for the album cover would be to use an image from the video for the song; this could either be an action shot from the video or an image of the main character for the album cover. For an action shot from the video I could use an image from the end of the video of the two characters, whilst for a shot of the main character I could use the image from the end of the video when the character is looking down the camera. Whilst for the back of the album cover would show back down the alleyway from which the main character has run from.

Another idea I have had for the music video is to use an image of an everyday object, which would be in keeping with several of the bands previous album covers. This object could be either a broken beer bottle, smashed photo frame or withering flowers, which would show the dark aspects of the song and would be relevant to the music video. The back of the album cover is stereotypically in keeping with the theme shown on the front of the album; however there is the track listings placed down the side of the back cover. There is also normally a barcode, and logos for the band, and their record labels.

Locations, Props, Costumes

Locations

The music video will be shot in several locations, with the most important location being where the final scenes will be shot. With it being important that it is dark, with limited lighting and also being a quite dirty street or alleyway. This is because the darkness will represent how the main character has become the antagonist in the narrative and how evil has become more powerful than good in the film. I believe that the best location for this is Wellington Street because if the film was shot at night the lighting would be limited and make the representation clear, or if the film was edited in black and white would be able to make the effect more effective. Most of the indoor scenes will be shot at my house, with the scenes of the main character sat in the living room being shot with dim lighting to show how his character is darker within the narrative, whilst one of the actor’s houses will be used as the second indoor location for the film. The crash scene will be filmed on a quiet road, because it would be safest to film whilst no cars or other dangers are about.

Props

            The main prop used in the music video will be the picture frame; this is because it will signify why the main character is following the secondary character and seemingly appears to be plotting revenge. The picture will show the strong relationship which the man had with the woman before the accident. With it also representing how he is some what unwilling to let go of what he had. Another prop which will be needed is alcoholic drink, which will be used  by the main character in order to show how his lifestyle has deteriorated.

Costumes

            It is important for the main character to be wearing dark, or colourless clothing as it is a representation of evil. Which will show how the main character has a dark mentality in the video and how his life has become heavily based around getting revenge on the secondary character. Whilst the secondary character should wear brighter colour clothing to show how he is getting over the accident and how his life has seemingly continued. It would also be appropriate for the female character to be wearing a white coat, in order to represent how is she is pure, and innocent in the situation. 

           

Final Shot List

1. Close up of main character,
2. Close up of Photo Frame,
3. Close up of Secondary character,
4. Close up of Drink bottle on floor,
5. Graphic match - Close up of bare feet > Close up of shoes,
6. Long shot of character at table,
7. Close up of main character,
8. Long shot of character at table,
9. Medium shot of man getting up to leave,
10. Medium shot of man picking up keys, (with keys and coat in foreground.)
11. Match on action - Medium shot of man walking through door > man coming through door,
12. Mixture of tracking shots/medium/ long shots of main character walking down street,
13. Low angle medium shot of photo frame,
14. Close up of photo frame,
15. Long shot of character standing outside another house (with main character in foreground),
16. Shot lingers with main character still in foreground,
17. Shot of character walking away,
18. High angle shot of character sat in living room,
19. Long shot of the other house,
20. Medium shot of second character at desk,
21. Extreme Close up of his hands,
22. Medium shot,
23. Telephoto shot of characters following,
24. Medium/ Long/ Tracking shots of following,
25. Shot of picture frame on floor,
26. Long shot of woman walking across road,
27. Medium shot inside car of character driving,
28. Close up of woman’s reaction,
29. Long shot of the car crashing into the woman,
30. Extreme long shot of town,
31. High angle shot of main character in living room,
32. Low angle shot of secondary character in living room,
33. High angle shot of character throwing picture frame to the floor,
34. Extreme long shot of town,
35. Medium/ close up/ tracking shots of the two characters,
36. Medium shot showing characters going down alleyway,
37. Variety of Close up/ Medium / Long shots of the two characters fighting,
38. Low angle shots of main character running away,
39. Long shot > Medium Shot of main character running down the alleyway,
40. Lingering shot of main character looking down the camera lens.

Draft Shot List

1. High angle of centric character,
2. Graphic match - Close up of bare feet > Close up of shoes,
3. Long shot of character at table,
4. Close up of main character,
5. Medium shot of man leaving,
6. Medium of man walking through door,
7. High angle tracking shot,
8. Close up of telephone,
9. High angle shot of photo frame,
10. Long shot outside house,
11. High angle close up,
12. Long shot of him walking away,
13. Medium shot of main character in living room,
14. Long shot of House,
15. Medium shot of second character at desk,
16. Extreme close up,
17. Medium shot,
18. Telephoto shot of characters following,
19. Medium/ Long/ Tracking shots of following,
20. Shot of picture frame on floor,
21. Long shot of woman walking across road,
22. Medium shot inside car of character driving,
23. Long shot of the car crashing into the woman,
24. Medium/ Close ups of the two characters showing tension building,
25. Medium shot of main character leaving,
26. Medium shot of secondary character leaving,
27. Eyeline match showing main character looking at secondary character,
28. Long shot of the two characters walking down an alleyway,
29. Variety of Close up/ Medium / Long shots of the two characters fighting,
30. Tracking shot of main character running away,
31. Close up of victim in alleyway,
32. Telephoto shot of main character by a wall and secondary character lying back down the alleyway,
33. Long shot of man walking away.

Final Narrative

The narrative will be begin with the shot will fade in and out each time the music kicks in. This is done similarly at the beginning of LCD Soundsystem’s someone great because the image of the skyline changes as the music fades in and out. The image will then change each time the music fades in and out showing the centric character, his house, the photo frame and a bottle on the floor will immediately set the scene for the audience. When the drum beat kicks in a graphic match will be used to show the character will stepping out of bed to show a close up of his bare feet with the shot lingering before he moves forward, but as he moves forward it is shown as though he is moving in to another room and his shoes are on this will be done by using a close up following shot, which is done similarly in the music video “Just” by “Radiohead”. A long shot of the character sat at the kitchen table, with his hands on his head staring at a picture frame will then be used, the shot then jump cuts to a close up shot of the man’s face in order to represent the despair and confusion that the man has There would then be a medium shot as the man gets up to leave, picking up his jacket and keys, then as he leaves a match on action will be used to show him leaving through the door.

The lyrics of the song now start, when the lyrics “Stranded in this spooky town” are sung the character will be walking down the street, a slightly high angle tracking shot will be used. The lighting will be dull, possibly at night for this to help create a negative atmosphere around the character. A low angle medium shot of the photo frame on the table will be used, which will then jump cut to at close-up of the picture in the frame which will show him and his wife, the low angle shot would show that their relationship was strong. There will then be a long shot of the house of the secondary character, with the main character stood in the foreground. This shot will linger until the character turns to walk away. The video will then cross fade into the next scene which will be in his living room, a high angle shot of the man drinking alcohol and looking at the picture frame will be used to show his pain and depression at his situation this will be played at a fast speed. Also this scene could show the main character gathering information on the secondary character, like shown immediately at the start of the video. The character will then throw the frame across the room in anger at what has happened, this could be shown in slow motion.

The secondary character then appears for the first time in the video, showing the strain that the accident has had on him. A quick long shot of the house will be used, to make the connection between why the main character was stood outside the house. Before jump cutting into the house showing a medium shot of the secondary character sitting at his office desk. The camera will then move to an extreme close up of the character, switching to an extreme close up of his hands, before jump cutting back to a medium shot. A telephoto shot of the two characters will be used to show the main character is following the secondary character, to make the connection between the two characters. Medium and long tracking shots will then be used to show the main character following the secondary character and a close up will show the resentment on his face aimed towards him. The pace of the song is now fast at this point of the song, which means the pace of editing will need to be fast to be in time with the pace of the music, it is important for the pace of the editing to quicken here which is done similarly in LCD Soundsystem’s “Someone Great” where the pace of editing begins slow before gradually increasing.

The enigma of why the man is stalking the secondary is now revealed to the viewer. A shot of the picture frame will be shown lying on the floor. Which will then jump cut to a past memory showing the accident which has caused the man’s change in lifestyle. The cinematography will then jump cut between a medium shot of the woman walking across the road, a long shot as the car begins to move towards the woman and a close of both the driver’s and woman’s face. This will need to be distinctly different to the rest of the video, by showing it in a different hue/saturation for the video, from the dark colours to possibly a brighter blue colour; this will allow the viewer to recognise that this event happened in the past.
Next an extreme long shot will show the town as it transforms from day into night which will create the effect of the film becoming darker, this will jump cut between the two characters at their homes, with medium high and low shots of the two characters sat in their living rooms, it is important for there to be antagonistic characteristics shown in the video to allow the viewer to see the context of the text. This is done in the video “Strawberry Fields”, where the main character is shown as the clear protagonist. The video will then begin to cross cut between the centric character and the secondary character with both showing contrasting emotions, a mixture of close ups and medium shots will express how the centric characters anger is beginning to build, before he leaves the house to find the man.

The pace of the editing here will become very fast in order to show the frantic actions of the main character, a mixture of low angle medium and close up shots will be used to show him searching for the secondary character. The pace of editing here will represent the urgency of his actions. An eyeline match will then be used to show that the main character has found the person who he is looking for, as the camera tracks the secondary character beginning to walk down an alleyway. The main character will then follow him down the alleyway and begin to attack him. The pace of the editing will then become very quick and frantic as the two characters begin to tussle in the alleyway. Fast jump cuts would be important here to show the frantic pace of the action, close ups of the main characters expression towards the other man and medium/long shots would be important here. It is also important to show low angle shots of the centric character here in order to show that he has power over the other character. Also here there could be cross cuts between the fight and the past of the centric character following the secondary character. A tracking shot then follows the main character running from the place where then man is lay bleeding will be used, with quick paced editing mixing between close ups of the character and the victim back in the alleyway. At the end of the song a long shot of the alleyway will be used to show the man running towards the camera, this will eventually become a close up of the main character with him staring down the camera lens before turning away as the video fades out.

Changes to Narrative

Drafting

Drafting

At the beginning of the song the music fades sharply in and out until the drum beat kicks in (00:00s > 00:10s), the shot will fade in and out each time the music kicks in. The shot will be a high angle of the centric character lying in bed, with the camera zooming slowly in as each shot fades into view. When the drum beat kicks in a graphic match will be used to show the character will stepping out of bed to show a close up of his bare feet with the shot lingering before he moves forward, but as he moves forward it is shown as though he is moving in to another room and his shoes are on this will be done by using a close up following shot, like shown at the beginning of the music video “Just” by “Radiohead”. (00:11s > 00:18s). The next shot is a long shot of the character sat at the kitchen table, with his hands on his head staring at a picture frame, the shot then jump cuts to a close up shot of the man’s face in order to represent the despair and confusion that the man has (00:18s > 00:28s). There would then be a medium shot as the man gets up to leave, picking up his jacket and keys as he leaves, with the shot jump cutting to him leaving through the door. (00:28s > 00:35s).

The lyrics of the song now start, when the lyrics “Stranded in this spooky town” are sung the character will be walking down the street, a slightly high angle tracking shot will be used (00:35s > 00:40s). The lighting will be dull, possibly at night for this to help create a negative atmosphere around the character. A close up shallow focus shot will then be used of a telephone hanging of the hook in a telephone box, with light shining through from the background. A high angle medium shot of the photo frame on the table will be used, which will then jump cut to at close-up of the picture in the frame which will show him and his wife. (00:40s > 00:55s). A long shot is used of the man standing outside another house, with the man distant from the house as though he is watching from a distance. The scene will jump cut to a high angle close up of the character showing his  anger, before a long shot shows him walking away (00:55s > 01:10s). The video will then cross fade into the next scene which will be in his living room, medium shots of the man drinking alcohol and looking at the picture frame will be used to show his pain and depression at his situation. The character will then throw the frame across the room in anger at what has happened, this could be shown in slow motion. (01:10s > 01:22s).

The secondary character then appears for the first time in the video, showing the strain that the accident has had on him. A quick long shot of the house will be used, to make the connection between why the main character was stood outside the house. Before jump cutting into the house showing a medium shot of the secondary character sitting at his office desk. (01:22 > 01:31). The camera will then move to an extreme close up of the character, before jump cutting back to a medium shot. A telephoto shot of the two characters will be used to show the main character is following the secondary character, to make the connection between the two characters. The centric character will then continue to follow the man; with the shots of the man being followed will then include mostly long/ medium tracking shots. (01:31 > 01:54). The pace of the song is now fast at this point of the song, which means the pace of editing will need to be fast to be in time with the pace of the music.

The enigma of why the man is stalking the secondary is now revealed to the viewer. A shot of the picture frame will be shown lying on the floor. Which will then jump cut to a past memory showing the accident which has caused the man’s change in lifestyle. The cinematography will then jump cut between a medium shot of the woman walking across the road, a long shot as the car begins to move towards the woman and a close of both the driver’s and woman’s face. This will need to be distinctly different to the rest of the video, by showing it in a different hue for the video, from the dark colours to possibly a brighter blue colour. (02:15 > 02:25). The main character will then be seen looking up with his hands clasped together as though praying for the forgiveness of his wife for what he is about to do. The video will then begin to cross cut between the centric character and the secondary character with both showing contrasting emotions, a mixture of close ups and medium shots will express how the centric characters anger is beginning to build, before he leaves the house to find the man. (02:25 > 02:43).

The scene will then cross cut between the centric character searching for the secondary character and the past events shown in the video like shown in the video "Just" by Radiohaed, showing the progression in the man’s anger towards the man who killed his wife. (02:43 > 03:10). An eyeline match will then be used to show that the main character has found the person who he is looking for, as the camera tracks the secondary character beginning to walk down an alleyway. (03:10 > 03:17). The main character will then follow him down the alleyway and begin to attack him. The pace of the editing will then become very quick and frantic as the two characters begin to tussle in the alleyway. Fast jump cuts would be important here to show the frantic pace of the action, close ups of the main characters expression towards the other man and medium/long shots would be important here. (03:17 > 03:30). A tracking shot then follows the main character running from the place where then man is lay bleeding will be used, with quick paced editing mixing between close ups of the character and the victim back in the alleyway. (03:30 > 03:47). A final telephoto shot of the man standing against the wall at the end of the alley and the secondary character further down the alley will be used. Before the scene begins to fade out the man turns out of the alley showing an expression of insincerity.It is important that the pace of the editing matches the constantly increasing pace of the music, like in the video "Someone Great by LCD Soundsystem.

Draft Shot List

1. High angle of centric character,
2. Graphic match - Close up of bare feet > Close up of shoes,
3. Long shot of character at table,
4. Close up of main character,
5. Medium shot of man leaving,
6. Medium of man walking through door,
7. High angle tracking shot,
8. Close up of telephone,
9. High angle shot of photo frame,
10. Long shot outside house,
11. High angle close up,
12. Long shot of him walking away,
13. Medium shot of main character in living room,
14. Long shot of House,
15. Medium shot of second character at desk,
16. Extreme close up,
17. Medium shot,
18. Telephoto shot of characters following,
19. Medium/ Long/ Tracking shots of following,
20. Shot of picture frame on floor,
21. Long shot of woman walking across road,
22. Medium shot inside car of character driving,
23. Long shot of the car crashing into the woman,
24. Medium/ Close ups of the two characters showing tension building,
25. Medium shot of main character leaving,
26. Medium shot of secondary character leaving,
27. Eyeline match showing main character looking at secondary character,
28. Long shot of the two characters walking down an alleyway,
29. Variety of Close up/ Medium / Long shots of the two characters fighting,
30. Tracking shot of main character running away,
31. Close up of victim in alleyway,
32. Telephoto shot of main character by a wall and secondary character lying back down the alleyway,
33. Long shot of man walking away.

Accepted/Rejected Ideas

Due to analysis of the target audience research which I have conducted I have decided to use a dramatic narrative for the music video, because the majority of people felt that it would be the most suitable genre to match the song “Closer” by The Kings of Leon. For the music video I am going to produce I am going to use the narrative based around an individual centric character. The narrative will follow the life of the character as he struggles to come to terms with loss of his wife, following an accident. The storyline will lead the character into a dark aspect of life as his mental state begins to deteriorate because he is struggling to cope without his wife. At the beginning of the video the character will appear to be the protagonist of the video but as the video progresses he will appear to become the antagonist. The centric character will be a male character because I think it is most appropriate for the narrative idea for the video. I have chosen to apply this narrative because I feel that it would work well with the lyrics of the song, for example; “She took my heart, I think she took my soul”, this would apply to the male characters wife having been killed in the accident, and represents how the character feels in the aftermath of the accident. I feel that the use of dark lighting would be most acceptable for the video because it creates a strong representation of the negative lifestyle which the central character has succumbed to. I also think that it is important for the pace of editing to begin slow and gradually quicken as the storyline develops in order to avoid juxtaposition with the composition and genre of the music. The gradually change in the pace of editing represents the characters change from protagonist to antagonist and how the characters state of mind has become increasingly unstable. Similarly, slow paced editing is used in the video “Someone Great” by LCD Soundsystem, which allows the emotion of the song to be shown through the video.  From my initial idea I have chosen to build in an enigma at the end of the video, which stems from the idea shown in the video “Just” by Radiohead, the enigma will keep the audience interested and focussed in the video.

I decided not to use my initial idea of basing the narrative around a relationship because I felt that it was not what the audience wanted to see, as shown by the target audience research. This is because the narrative could possibly closely related to a romantic genre, however the narrative might match the lyrics partly “Leaving me stranded all in love on my own” being an example of this. Although the idea of using an enigma at the end of the video like in the music video “Just” by Radiohead appealed and I feel that it could be applied to the narrative I have chosen to develop for my music video. 

I rejected my final idea because I felt that out of my three ideas, it least applied to the songs style, lyrics and title. Although it matches the description of a dramatic narrative which the audience wanted it does not match the song where as other two narratives would be better suited to the song. However, the idea of using dark lighting to create more of a negative mood and atmosphere surrounding the character would be suitable for the narrative that I have chosen. Although the second idea of using bright lights to show the characters purity and search for a new life may also be applicable to the final narrative for the video.

Initial Ideas

After analysis of the answers to the questionnaire and conducting target audience research it was shown that a dramatic narrative with no focus on the band was the most popular theme for the target audience. I believe that the dramatic narrative would also suit the genre of song and the lyrics of the song “Closer” by the kings of Leon. I think that the type of narrative should match the mood and lyrics of the song. For example; using a comedic narrative would not match the genre of the song. Therefore a dramatic narrative will feature as the main focus and theme of the music video.
  

Initial Idea

            My initial idea for the music video was to have a dramatic narrative based around a relationship. This narrative would be based around abuse in a close relationship, with the relationship appearing to be stereotypical at first. The idea for this comes from the line “Showing no mercy I’d do it again”, which implies that the antagonist does not regret his actions. The idea of using an enigma at the end of the video comes from the storyline from the video “Just” by Radiohead, which ends without the audience knowing the true meaning of the video. Due to the slow pace of the song the pace of the cinematography and editing needs to begin slowly before building up as the music kicks in at the end of the song, this is also done in the video “Someone great” by LCD Soundsystem, this slow pace helps to represent and create more emotion in the song. The pace of the song would match a slow pace of editing with the speed of editing becoming much faster at the end of the video.

Secondary Idea

 My second idea for the music video is to base the video around one main character due to the song’s lyrics appearing to be in the first person. The video could show how the character appears to be a protagonist at first but this character slowly begins to become a protagonist as the video and storyline progresses. The deterioration in the characters protagonist stereotype could be because of a life-changing event such as the loss of someone who is lose to the main character. The idea of the centric character’s wife or girlfriend being killed comes from the lines, “she took my heart I think she took my soul.” An enigma could also be used at the start of this narrative with the reason for his sudden representation of being an antagonist being shown late in the video, possibly as part of a flashback. I feel that with this narrative it would be important to show that the main character has become a strong antagonist at the end of the video. This would be done by showing how the character sought revenge on the person who caused the accident, I feel that this would be a suitable way to show the character as an antagonist because it would represent that his state of mind has become unstable.

Third Idea   

My third idea for the video was to produce a video about a youthful character whose life is troubled. The storyline would follow the centric characters troubled youth, with the character acting as an antagonist searching for a better life. It would be important for there to be dark lighting for large parts of the video to match the dramatic narrative; however, bright lights could also be used to represent the character searching for a new start in life. The video could also be in black and white in order to reflect the characters battle between good and evil. This idea would be a closer representation of what life is like for some of youth in modern society, and could possibly relate with some of the target audience of the music genre.