Change of Character

After considering that my character is only 4 years old, it's going to be hard trying to get him to be serious about it and act. I have tried to entice him with sweets and toys but he doesn't want to do it. So instead I think i'm going to use my sister: first trying to make her look like a boy, but if it doesn't work then I will use her as a girl and go with the idea of Daddy's little girl, if I do go with Daddy's little girl, there are a few things i'm going to have to change in the shot list.

My main character

This is Callum.

I think he would be ideal for the role of the son as he has a very sweet smile that would shine at the end of the music video to show his happiness of his father's return. Also, he is of a height and size that means the father's clothes will look far too big and therefore be obvious that they are his dad's clothes. I think he has very nice big blue eyes too which would work well as they are interesting to look at. Plus he is a good looking lad so would look good on screen in the music video.

However, a problem could be his tendency to be distracted very easily which may show in the in the music video if he doesn't follow my instructions.

Digipak Idea

I took a number of photos that I then edited in photoshop by manipulating the grain and colours of the pictures.

The first picture is 3 different pictures of my friend Matt posing, I then merged the three pictures together to make it look like there are three men posing.

The second picture is of Callum wearing a hat, at the time he was eating cereal and tugging on his hat, in photoshop I was able to remove the cereal and make it look like headphones and dancing.

The bottom image is a manipulated picture that I took of 3 guys sitting in a cafe. I removed their seats and the table using photoshop.

I think these would work well as Digipak images as they are intriguing and eye catching. The front and back of the album include three men so can represent the three band members.

Statistics and Facts (divorce and family)

69% of divorces were granted to the wife, of which, 52% were granted based on the husband's behaviour.

53% of couples divorced had at least one child age less than 16.

27% of custodial single mothers and their children live in poverty.

12.9% of custodial single fathers and their children live in poverty.

Approximately 84% of custodial parents are mothers.

54% of custodial mothers are raising one child from the absent parent.

39.1% of custodial single mothers are 40 years old or older.

Divorce

http://www.civitas.org.uk/pubs/experiments.php

When I was researching in to statistics about divorce, I stumbled across this page. After reading the first page I was shocked and appauled. I couldn't believe that being fatherless could have such a influential effect on the child and mother and their futures.
From reading about this experiment and researching in to facts about Divorce and seeing that in most cases it is the mother left with the children and a large 52% of divorces in the USA were granted due to the father's behaviour. Another large percentage that I was shocked to see was that 53% of couples divorced had at least one child less than 16 years old. I think because divorce, break-ups and one parent families are so common these days; my music video idea will impact a lot of people. It will hopefully inspire emotion and pent up aggression to be released through watching it, because the audience can relate and sympathise with the story and its characters. Therefore, the song is no longer a means of entertainment, it will become an emotional tune for the listener to empathise with and associate with longing of wanting family members or friends to come back home.

A reply from Two Door Cinema Club Management

Location Still Images

This will be the counter where the mum will be standing over crying. It will also be where the boy will walk past in one set of clothes and go past in another to show change of time and day.







Where my sister is pictured, will be the little boy in the first scene, and the parents will be arguing behind, perhaps the dad outside the door with the mum inside the room. To show the seperation already.






Where the stick figures been drawn is where the little boy will be seen from the dad viewpoint as he drives away. But the silver car won't be there at that point. It's a good shot because the boy is sheltered and looks small and timid.







There will be quite a few scenes in this garden where the boy will carry out 'manly' jobs such as gardening, digging and working out. I will try change the lighting using electrical light to show different times of day etc.

Recreated own version of song cover

Using an image I took outside using a shirt and a shoe and the hedge outside my house, I've created a mock up of what a potential cover for their album could look like. By following the simple text layout and font as well as positioning some old glasses to look like two O's.

Possible Images For Digipak

I want to create a design that is different and creative. I'm thinking of using three different peoples feet and photoshopping them together and putting effects across them to make it look eye-catching.

Come Back Home existing cover

I saw this image when researching the band, it has inspired me for my Digipak. I'm thinking a picture of a bin bag with the Dad's shirts in strewn about just like the picture aside with the knickers. Inside the pack I'd include pictures of the band in funny poses like I've previously discussed.

Maybe where the two O's go in Door I could have a pair of old man's glasses..?

A visit from Eugene Riecansky!

It was last week when we were visited by the creative whizz Eugene Riecansky. He showed us a video compiled with samples of videos and photography that he had produced for clients including Prodigy and Madonna. I was so inspired and taken aback with how down to earth and normal he seemed for someone that has had so much success. He said about costs and budgets of music videos nowadays that they work in the region of £10,000 to £15,000 and explained where the money is spent. It was really cool to hear someone from the actual business talk about their ideas and experiences and problems and accomplishments. It's helped to confirm that creativity isn't just a hobby and I came out of his speech with a burst of new ideas for my music video.

Also, he has set the task of coming up with a video idea for one of his clients songs "Do You Mind" by Betty Curse. Watch this space...

So, Eugene came back to hear our ideas. There were only a few of us and Lizzy and I were very nervous and felt slightly unprepared. We listened in on a few idea pitches, and thought the competition was intense! There were a lot of different creative ideas and Eugene seemed to love them all! Our idea in a nutshell; was having Betty at a high school prom dressed up as a normal girl and then her night takes a turn for the worse and she ends up looking like her gothic self and goes on a rampage with her band mates trashing the neighbourhood. He seemed very enthusiastic and said that he may keep this idea stored for the future! :)

Ideas for Digipak

As there are three members of Two Door Cinema Club, I'm thinking of taking three different pictures of them together, with each different one in the middle of each picture. However, as I don't want to use existing photographs of the band, I will take my own. To make this look realistic, I don't think I will include the faces of the band as it will look more realistic and artistic too. The band currently have quite quirky pictures taken in random places in odd poses [as seen in my post Two Door Cinema Club - Images] so I think I will incorporate this into my pictures so there is still the link between the band and their imagery even though their faces won't be in it.

Story Board

Do I Have The Band Involved?

Since the first ever music videos, the artists have always been the main focus of music videos. They've always acted and starred in them, either by playing instruments or singing like Marilyn Monroe. From then on, music videos have developed to include more people and storylines to match the songs or just for visual attention. Recently, the quality of music video's have become as important as the quality of the song. Musicians have been known to pay millions for effective and exciting music videos which include special effects and dancers. Although these no budget video's can fetch lots of attention, be very memorable, and sometimes enhance the popularity of the band. Some of the simpler, budgeted music videos can also recieve the same effects on the audience.
The premise for my music video, is to be a linear narrated story that has an array of peaks that draw in the audience and provokes emotions such as sadness, pity and joy whilst they watch it. If my piece was to be played on music channels as the real music video for the song, the band would be associated with the emotional film and be different from a lot of other music videos. The decision I have to make is whether I include the band in my video.
The choices I have made earlier in deciding upon the song and idea for the music video has lead me to be more inclined not to use them as I don't want to use any photos of the band for copyright reasons and I don't want to use 3 guys to try and make a facade of the band members. So to use them in my music video, there would have to be 3 blurred and dark figures in the background of my piece. However I think this would create a dark and twisted feel to the video which I don't particularly desire. Most up to date music videos try to promote the band and merchandise, which is a good way of advertising, but not necessary in my music video. This is because I want the song to be felt on a personal level rather than an entertainment level.
What is used quite a lot in music videos, is a storyline to match the song with images of the band playing or singing in different shots and settings that coincide with the basis of the music video. I could do this in my music video, but as I said before I don't want to use people that aren't the actual band members. Therefore, I don't think I will use any imagery of the band.

Deciding Between The Two Ideas..

Idea 1.

After listening to the song several times and imagining the kind of video I would like to watch to it. I saw parents fighting at the beginning of the song (before the lyrics) and then the dad leaves and you see the young child run after him and then he drives off. For the remainder of the song, you see the young child wearing his dads shirts and shoes and doing jobs his father would have done. In the end, the dad comes through and it'll be in slow motion to match with the lyrics of the song 'Come Back Home'. However, there will be images in the video that suggest that the father won't come back but the boy just wants him too.

'

'

'

Idea 2.

In the start leading up to the introduction of lyrics, there would be a couple arguing and she would throw out clothes of her bf and then drive off. Leaving him looking silly with lots of clothes. He then tries to ring her and the camera splits into two following them on their way. Use of photo albums and props will relate to parts of the song or link the two camera shots together. In the end they come back together.

'

'

Decision.

Currently, there are a lot of music videos that have the idea of using a couple to demonstrate the aim of the song. This is probably because that relationships and love is the theme of most songs nowadays. As Two Door Cinema Club are a individual music band with their own style of music and original take on a 'band', their music video should be different from the norm too. So, in this instance, I believe that doing Idea2 would be the easier option that is similar to other popular music videos around. Whereas, Idea1 would be more emotional and would relate to a lot of people that have lost someone and wanted them to come back. Also, I don't think there is a video out there like it, so it would be easily identifyable with the band.

Two Door Cinema Club

The genre of the 'Come Back Home' by Two Door Cinema Club is known as "Indie" music. Often known as Independant music, shortened to indie music or "indie", is a term used to describe independence from major commercial record labels and an autonomous, Do-It-Yourself approach to recording and publishing.


The target audience for this kind of music is young adults that look for music further than whats in the radio charts on international radio, this genre is often found on Radio 1 or supporting more well known bands that are similar to this genre. Aside is the picture of what the people who listen to this genre of music would typically dress like.

However, with a new and innovative music video perhaps the stereotypical audience can be scrapped and the band can reach to new audiences that are intrigued by the video and the song and therefore investigate the band's other songs and videos thus creating a new fan!


Two Door Cinema Club are an alternative electropop band from Bangor and Donaghadee, Co. Down, Northern Ireland formed in 2007. They are signed to French record label Kitsuné Music, through which they released their debut album Tourist History on 1 March 2010. (Pictured Below)





The reasons behind the name of the album: the past couple of years they have become tourists – playing shows in different cities and countries every night – most of which they have never been to before. The town they're from, Bangor, was a big tourist town in the 60s/70s and so they grew up with that history too.

Ancillary Tasks..

Digipak

What I need to include in my digipak:

• - Image of the Band


• - Significant still images from the music video


• - Info about the songs


• - CD design
  

Magazine Advert

What I need to include in my magazine advertisement;

• - Reviews/Ratings of the song/band


• - Images of the band


• - Features of the album


• - Single release date

Audience Research Video

So, I interviewed some people on paper and tried to think of an innovative way of putting some of the best answers into something more interesting than just a plain blog post. And above is the video product. Some of the answers are exaggerated but all are genuine!

Two Door Cinema Club - Images

Emailing Management at Two Door Cinema Club

I went on the official website of the band and clicked on the page 'Contact us' where I found email addresses.
http://twodoorcinemaclub.com/contact/

Ideas for Both Songs..

I think out of the two songs, I have more inspiration and enthusiasm for 'Come Back Home'. This is probably because it's a newer song that belongs to a band that isn't very well known.

Video Analysis

'Be The One' - The Ting Tings

www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FMAeYjOF3k

So the video starts with Katie White (the woman band member) waking up in a hospital. There are close ups of the hospital equipment to emphasise her location and intrigue the audience. The audience asks questions such "how did she get there?" "what's wrong with her?" "why is she there?". Also, there are diegetic shots of Jules De Martino (the male band member) playing the keyboard in an unpopular gig. We then see Katie escape the hospital in a red coat which is contrasting to the white hospital room and draws the audiences attention to her. Once she comes out of the back door of the hospital, two men appear behind her carrying a large portable screen on wheels that have a video playing of a background. The camera zooms into and out of this screen showing her in the video on the screen behind her as well as infront of it. Which is confusing but clever as the audience try to figure out which one is really her. I could use this technique in my video using photographs? Jules then leaves his gig in a khaki coat and green sunglasses which suggests he's trying to blend in and doesn't want to be taken notice of as much as Katie. He also is followed by a large screen behind him. Katie and Jules are then followed by the opposite sex which is the only part of the video that relates to the lyrics of the song. These characters are also mixed between reality and the screen behind them. Katie and Jules then meet and jump into a car. After a few close ups of them in the car, Katie then stands up in the car with a guitar and plays it. It's all very strange and doesn't really have much of a storyline or really relate to the lyrics of the song. I think the only thing that interested me was the use of the screens behind them. Also, the fact that it was shot at night means there wasn't any great use of different lighting or shadowing. I like my music videos to have a good solid storyline, which this didn't have as the audience have no idea why Katie began in a hospital, although I did like the shots with diegetic sound and Katie singing to the song the whole way through.

Choices, Choices, Choices..

I think I have decided to do 'Come Back Home' by Two Door Cinema Club after listening to both songs and brainstorming different ideas, I seemed to come up with more ideas for the above song.

Analysing.. 'Come Back Home'

'Come Back Home' - Two Door Cinema Club

I think that this song has more scope for ideas that apply to it, rather than Be The One by The Ting Tings. Also, the Ting Tings always appear in their own videos and most people know what they look like and how they sound so in my opinion I think I should use this song. But before I make my final decision I will do some audience research into it..

Analysing.. 'Be The One'

'Be The One' - The Ting Ting

I think the mise en scene of the original music video reflects this, with her red coat and his dull coloured clothing suggests that she is more passionate about their relationship, whereas he comes across as not seeming to care. Also, in the background of the big screens the singers seem to be leaving partners behind and join together to leave. So there is a sense of unity in it.

Research Data

I asked 20 people in the age bracket between 16 and 18 what their favourite genre of music was. It is clear that Pop and R&B are the two favourites and are the type of music found on radio and television.

I then asked the group what they liked in a music video. Popular choices were having a storyline, including the band and using special effects. So perhaps I should include these in my music video.

Next, I asked if they could chose a song that they most liked from the list of the songs I was considering on using for my project, which would it be?

The largest numbered choices were Come Back Home by TwoDoorCinemaClub and Be The One by The Ting Tings.

Choosing a song..

Okay, so after much deliberation, I think i'd like to do a song by a band that isn't that well known. This means there are no preconceptions of what the band should look like, what songs or videos you would associate with them. Therefore I can create a totally new image and idea for the video and image and work on my own interpretation of the song.

So TwoDoorCinemaClub is an upcoming upbeat band that each play an instrument and are bringing back the trend of playing your own instruments in a band and having less of the synthesised back tracking etc.Songs I like by them:

• What You Know
• Something Good Can Work
• Come Back Home

Jupiter Rising is another band that isn't that well known but have a few good upbeat songs, and like their album suggests, they are a 'quiet hype', only their fans know how good they are.

The songs I like by them are:

• Electropop
• Go
• Falling Away

Another band that I am considering are The Ting Tings, this band have released a number of songs that have made it into the charts but their personal lives are very private which makes them less known to the public and more popular with their music rather than their personal lives.

Songs I'm considering by them are;

• Hands
• Great DJ
• Be The One

Official Change of Idea!

After much consideration I have decided to completely change not only my idea but my brief, reverting from a children's television program to a music video. The largest problem I have and will have with my initial idea of using puppets for a children's television program is the expense. The cost of all the materials that i am going to need to create effective and proper sized puppets will be too great, also the time that i am going to have to spend on making the puppets and ensuring that they look as close to the image i have in my head is too greater a task, and when you combine these points the outcome won't match the time and money i will have spent.
I have tried to make a mock up of a puppet using a baby doll as the head, but in doing so, it hit me how hard this project is going to be, if it's this hard to make a puppet body for a baby doll, and create face paint make up that looks realistic like a monster, it's going to be even harder to make a large size scaled puppet body for a human. I don't think i'll be able to create the image i have in my head of how the monsters i look into reality which overall will be a major disappointment and look unprofessional and cheap! Which i don't want.
In considering the music video, i know that any ideas i have in my head i can create and put into action easier. I already have a basis for an idea and a song after carrying some research into considering the worth of changing briefs. I know i have a lot of work to do, but i think i can do it and make the final outcome worth while and better than it would be if it was the children's program.

Practicing Face Paints

First, I applied a yellow base coat and then with a black wax pen drew across her eye brows to look like a big thick monobrow.

Then I drew a white circle on the top of the bridge of her nose as a base for a third eye. I then did the same on her eye lids. Inside the white circles I did a black spot with a blue ring around to look like pupils.

I think the eyes have potential to look quite realistic once I get the nack of face painting!

For my second monster, I did an orange base and drew on big blue eyebrows with a blue wax pen. I then drew on big white fangs to look like big teeth coming up from her lips.

Then it was their turn to turn me into a monster!