Setting and Locations

Setting

In order to support the decisions I made with regards to the setting of my music video I created a mise-en-scene survey which I posted onto my social media. Members of my target audience completed this, giving me an idea of what they would expect to see in an indie music video. From these results, I can gather that the settings they would most expect to see are abandoned buildings, forests, and streets. I expected that streets and abandoned buildings would be popular as these are typical settings in the indie rock genre due to their urban nature. Considering my narrative and the response of my target audience, I have decided to set my music video in:

City Centre/Streets of Hull

Considering that most indie music videos feature quite urban settings, I feel that featuring the city centre and the streets of Hull would play up to the conventions of an indie music videos. The overall atmosphere and mood created by the streets can vary immensely depending on where abouts in the street you are stood. I feel that standing in a busy place where there is lots of action can create quite a tense atmosphere, whereas filming the streets at night can give a relaxed tone. I also feel that using the city centre makes my text more relatable to the audience as most of the individuals I will be targeting will have surely been out into the city with their friends or loved ones. 

House

Considering my narrative, I feel that filming at the house of one of my protagonists would give the video a sense of verisimilitude, as it then appears that the narrative is a personal account. I would certainly want this sort of vibe from the video, and so I will most likely use Elliot Docwra's house in the sequence. I feel that using a house will allow the audience to really believe the relationship they are watching, and perhaps make the entire video seem more personal, as it could be suggested that home is the place where individuals are most vulnerable. I feel this also ties in with the lyrics of the song as the vocalist is completely opening up to the one they love, and so it would only make sense that they spend a lot of time together in what could be their own home. 

Car

I have chosen to film aspects of the video in a car, as I feel that the showing of movement is really important in this video. Using a car to show progression, or therelackoff in this case could be a crucial element of the plot relationships are all about developing as people together. I also think that I could create some really nice imagery using the street lights in Hull as the protagonists are travelling, and think it would contribute to the narrative to show where the couple end up at the beginning of the text as opposed to the end. This could be considered a post modern feature, as I'm clearly deciding to flaunt that this is in fact a fictional text, however, I feel that it contributes to the entire atmosphere and mood of the song.

Costume - Protagonists

Female Protagonist Outfit Concepts

I feel that using the colour black as a running theme throughout the outfits in the video is relevant to the genre, as the Indie Rock genre often uses darker colours to create a darker tone in order to reflect the mood and tone of their songs. I figured it would be nice to use blue eyeliner on the female protagonist as it's a more current trend, and I felt that it would appeal the the target audience. I also feel that the connotations of using blue eyeliner could imply to the audience that the female protagonist feels 'blue' (sad), or maybe that she doesn't quite fit in as her style is more out there. 

Male Protagonist Outfit Concepts

Based on the responses from my survey, I decided that the male protagonist should be shown in a checked shirt and denim jacket. I also put the female protagonist in a denim jacket to show their similarity. When looking in Asylum Industries for outfit inspiration, I saw Doc Martens in the shoe section, but not many converse style shoes as suggested by the audience survey. Based on the products that were being sold in an indie/alternative shop, I figured that using Doc Martens would be a better choice. I also felt that giving the male protagonist a ring was a unique touch as it made him appear to be more unique, thus allowing audiences to identify him. I would also expect the artist to wear this ring, thus making a direct link between the character in the narrative and the artist himself.

Casting

Male Protagonist 

Whilst casting my male protagonist, I considered the generic indie appearance, and deliberated on what sort of age range I wanted the actor to be. I decided that in order to appeal to my audience, it would be better to cast an individual of similar age, hence meaning they could relate easily and find ways in which they could link themselves to the music video. Bearing both of these factors in mind, I decided to cast Elliot Docwra. Though my other options (Lewis Spence and Jack Johnson), were equally experienced in acting, and had the availability, I felt that Elliot suited the overall indie genre better due to his tattoos and body modifications. I also felt that he had the right sort of style to suit the character, and that his age (19) was just right. 

Female Protagonist

 As the male protagonist in my music video is aged similarly to my target audience, I feel that it is only fitting for the female protagonist to also be in late adolescence. When considering who to cast, I thought about who would be comfortable acting as though they were in a relationship with the main actor, and who had the most availability. In light of these factors, I chose to cast myself, as I knew what sort of tone I wanted to create, what I needed and wanted from different scenes, and that I was available to film after college everyday. My other options, Bethany Harper, and Angel Emily Diamond White, would have also worked well, however, they did not have the availability, or the correct appearance for the genre. They were also not as familiar with Elliot as I am, and so when asking them to act in certain scenes the atmosphere may have become more awkward than natural.  

Revised Synopsis

The video will now focus on the relationship of an adolescent boy and girl, who seem very much in love initially but have a big argument which leaves the audience unsure of whether they will stay together or not. At the beginning of the video, the narrative will show a car journey in which the couple are travelling backwards, implying that they are reversing time. At the end of the video, the female protagonist will arrive at the male protagonist's house with a backpack, thus implying that they will end up running away together. 

First Draft Feedback

In light of my audience feedback, I have decided to keep elements of the mise-en-scene and cinematography the same, however, I feel that in order to have a narrative which works, I need to simplify it. Bearing this in mind, I plan to cut two of the characters from my narrative, and base it solely on a single relationship instead. This will minimise confusion between different characters and prevent the audience from experiencing confusion which could ruin the video for them.

First Draft

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