Prop List

Sparklers

These will be easy to access in the Autumnal months due to Halloween and bonfire night and should be relatively cheap. However, we may need to get a couple packs as they do not stay lit long and we will need to take a variety of shots.

Dead Flowers

We may have a shot of the flowers alive earlier in the music video, but they will mainly be featured in the last scene as a pull focus will reveal them to represent the death of beauty and innocence due to the violence depicted within the video. We will be able to buy a bunch in any local store and they should not cost too much, depending on where we get them from. 

Fake drugs (tic-tacs)
We can buy these easily in local stores and we will only need one box for our character to seemingly have an overdose.

Large bag and clothes

These will be things we own as not much attention is needed as they will be crammed quickly into the bag. It would also be pointless to buy new t-shirts and jeans just for this shot.

Picture in frame

The picture will feature the couple looking happy and comfortable and will be taken before hand.  The frame will have to be cheap as we plan to throw it at a wall and we do not want to break an expensive frame.  We may also need to buy more than one frame in case the shot does not look right on the first try.

Pearl necklace

The pearl necklace will need to be cheap as we plan on it being ripped from the protagonists throat and we do not want to damage any expensive jewelry.  However, it will need to look authentic as we want to show a sense of loss and make the action seem extreme.  Like the frame, we will need more than one necklace in case the first shot does not properly capture the action. 

Our Star Image

Our Star image has been influenced by different music videos from similar genres such as; Panic! At The Disco, Fall Out Boy, Black Veil Brides etc. However, a lot of our influence has come from the lead singer of our chosen-songs band; Beartooth. We will only be featuring the singer, so as not to worry about showcasing a whole band, and we will use back lighting to highlight him. The use of multiple close-ups will also establish his importance and the use of direct address will make it appear as if he is singing directly to the viewers.  Our performer will be wearing all black, with either the addition of a flannel shirt or a leather jacket as this is a convention usually seen in rock music videos.

Caleb Shomo from Beartooth - His appearance has influenced the image and mannerisms of our performer

We will not be portraying our performer sexually and there will be no voyeuristic elements within his shots.  However, there will be extreme close-ups of his face and we will manipulate the direct address of his lip-syncing to emphasize the relationship between him and viewers.

Star Image: Taylor Swift

Richard Dyer argues that  "a star is an image not a real person", this suggest that the way an artists dresses and behaves forms their appearance in the media.  Management can manipulate this to make the artist stand out and fit to conventions or, alternatively to contradict these expectations and cause media excitement, thus drawing the attention of the public. (Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus etc)

Early Star Image

In Taylor Swift's first music video "Love Story" she is depicted as both a young college student and a costumer-drama type character - a young 'Juliet'.  Both characters are wearing subtle makeup and appear innocent as the gaze out from behind their eyelashes.  However, interestingly, the shots where Swift is performing and using direct address as she stares seemingly through the camera, are the shots where she is the most "provocatively" dressed. On the other hand she does still appear sweet and innocent and there is a lack of voyeurism. This created Swifts 'Good girl' image and landed her the title of "America's sweetheart"

This shot with direct address creates Taylor Swift as a sweet and innocent star. 

Star Image Development

Taylor Swifts image began to change with the release of her album "Red" in 2012. This album is more of the pop genre, compared to her older songs which are of Country origin.  Her music video "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" shows Swift with a new hairstyle, free of her iconic blonde curls and sporting a bright red lipstick which becomes an essential part of her image later on. This is the beginning of her 'redevelopment' as a pop artist. However, she keeps her good girl element, perhaps elevating it slightly by showing a cheekier side to her, emphasized by the bright lipstick.

Star Image before "Red". Pictured wearing nude makeup and her iconic blonde curls

"Red" Album.  Taylor Swift has replaced her curls for straight hair and a fringe and began to wear bright red lipstick in her music videos. This marks the beginning of her change as an artist as she begins to conform more to pop music conventions and leave country ones behind.

However, Swift's image truly changed with the release of her new album 1989.  The music videos that accompany some of these tracks show a newer side to Swift. She is pictured wearing heavier make-up and losing some of her 'good girl' appeal. This is especially apparent in her video 'Bad Blood where her day dresses have been traded in for leather shorts and straps and her hairbrushes for weapons. On the other hand, you could argue that this is due to the video being a seemingly comic parody of spy movies.  

How is she sold?

Swift's music videos usually detail narratives between two lovers and more often than not, she plays the female lead of this couple. It is because of this reoccurring theme that she was given a 'good girl' image and her efforts were focused on being America's sweetheart. Recently however, she has tried to escape from this limited title and show both her and her art has many different sides and that she is not limited to one genre or narrowed perception. In these music videos and those that do contain performance shots, Swift is always the centerpiece of a band and a variety of close ups establish her importance as she sings into the camera. There is rarely ever a theme of voyeurism or explicit sexuality in her videos as they are targeted to young adults. Due to this audience, she has been created as an icon for young teenage girls who look up to her in terms of style, appearance and behaviour. Moreover, despite media publicity that portrays her as "desperate" or "needy" due to her numerous love songs, Swift argues that her songs are written based on emotions and significant events and encourages young girls to do the same. 

The celebrity endorsements that she features in have also began to embrace her newer image and replaced the good girl photos with Swift's cheekier side, evident in her latest videos. 

For example, this diet coke advert from 2013 has used Taylor Swift's look from her video "We are never ever getting back together" which was released a year before.  It shows her newly developed pop image and has both a performance shot and a regular shot to show her contrasting images. 

New Ideas

We have decided we need to change some of our music video because we believe there is too much focus on narrative, which could make the video seem amateurish.  Some of our latest ideas include:

• Including more shots of sparklers in intro to remove scenes of shopping
• OR: having performance in 2nd half of intro
• Replacing shopping narrative (First few shots) with shots of person being strangled against a wall. Cutting between shots with performance.
• Replacing shots of happy relationship with a person potentially overdosing (lyrics: "Life can be such overdose")
• Replacing the next happy relationship shots with the effects of the overdose - changing colours, odd camera angles, flickering lights, 360 shots of girls on floor etc

In summary:

 

Make the video themes darker and include more abstract scenes to elevate the professionalism of the video. 

Shot List

Lyric Analysis

This covers some of the basic ideas we would like to include within our video and includes shots we we will edit in time to the lyrics:

Group Notes 18/09/2015

Filming Dates:
October half term.

Technology:

• Canon eos 100d
• Tripod 
• Dolly
• Reflectors
• Portable lighting

Performance Location:

• "The Pit" - School drama room, easy to manipulate lighting and easy access
• A Forest - Atmospheric but dark, will need portable lighting.
• A Barn  -  Atmospheric, slightly easier to manipulate light

Currently favouring Barn or "Pit" for easy access and light manipulation.