Narrative planning

When looking into creating a narrative for our music video we wanted to remain in keeping with the our chosen genre in order to add a psychedelic element to our music video, we need to include elements of stereotypical colour, patterns, form, tone and texture movements within our music video. We have planned some shots to include such as:

• Paint and oil in water,
• Dripping paint,
• Glitter effects,
• Powder paint,
• Investing in more advanced editing software aside from iMovie.

From looking in various music videos as shown in previous blogs, we found that a narrative in any music video normally relates to the song and target audience in some way. From this I can assume that 16-25 year olds (our target audience) relate to the issues raised within our couple plot lines. We have decided to base our plot lines on the idea of 'Binary Opposition' a binary opposition is a pair of related terms or concepts that are opposite in meaning. We aim to work with around ten individuals within our music video. Eight of which are divided into couples and two which are reserved as extras and could be used in shots with neon glow in the dark face paint and abstract innovative shots that link back to the psychedelic genre.



Reg and Mia : Cruel vs Kind.

Reg is first represented as kind, which then changes to selfish and cruel. Reg begins sitting with Mia (she believes him to be kind) only to see his personality change, he walks through the streets smoking, he is selfish towards animals, humans and nature (which we show through the shots). Mia however is the opposite, she sits reading a book (which Reg eventually burns out of selfishness). Mia follows Reg because she is hypnotised by him, only to lose him (we show her sadness through shots of her crying). Filming location: Rochester.

Ellie and Luke : Knowledge vs Ignorance.

The ignorant (Maddie) is blindfolded, she is guided by the knowledge (Seb) in an attempt to stop her being ignorant. He guided her through crowds and streets and guides her to the top of the hill, where he eventually takes off her blindfold to find her ‘healed’ of ignorance. However, Seb has become so exposed to Maddie's ignorance that by the end of the video Maddie puts the blindfold on Seb, symbolising a shift in character. Filming location: Rainham.

Callum and Stevie : Humanity vs Technology.

Stevie is considered the ‘naturist’ she wanders around a lake as she is one with nature/ this contrasts with Callum's shots as he will be pictured in his gaming room, his mother eventually tells him to get out of the house. He will be playing a video game or depicted as 'stuck to his phone', he will look up and see Stevie. Stevie sits with him when they finally recognise their differences. Stevie drops her healing crystals whilst Callum drops his game/phone. Their narrative ends when they hold hands. Filming location: Halling.

Lizzie and Sam : Strong vs Weak

Lizzie is in love with Sam's former self (as a male) however, Sam is now identifies as a female, and Lizzie struggles to let go (presenting her as weak). Sam is represented as the strong character, as he has the ability to break societies gender stereotype. We will include shots of Sam and Lizzie fighting, Sam applying make-up and becoming feminine. Filming location: Lizzie’s House.

From the basic plots we have decided on for each couple we also brainstormed some key shots we aim to include within our video:

• Reg carrying Mia, inspired by Lana Del Rey’s ‘Born to die’,
• Low shot of Cullum and Stevie's feet and crystal/phone falling,
• Close up of Stevie and Callum reaching for each others hands,
• Mia Crying (via close up and side shot),
• Reg and Mia walking past each other through shot reverse shot, inspired by Tame Impala 'The Less I Know The Better' music video.

Character/ target audience mood board

In keeping with our chosen genre, the aesthetic and overall look of the character within our music video could be described as 'indie teens'. This also relates to our chosen audience as this will most likely link strongly to a large portion of people within our target audience. 

Shot Inspiraion

Chosen song

The song we have decided to use for our music video is a song by the band Tame Impala off of their album 'Currents' which was released in 2015. We have chosen to use this song 'Let it Happen'. The song seems to be editing itself in real time with all manner of filters, manipulated vocals, swirling ambience, and a startling midsection where he mashes down the looper button and holds it. (This effect is given throughout the song but mainly during the last minute).

While Parker’s verses suggest the pressures of touring, critical expectation, and even disappointing his mother, neither his tone nor the pace is ever panicked. “All this running around, I can’t fight it much longer, something’s trying to get out and it’s never been closer,” Parker sings in a disarmingly mellow tenor. Instead of panicking about the necessity to create and impress, “Let it Happen” breezes by, a steady drum beat buoying Parker’s titled refrain. Tame Impala has often operated in muted emotional tones, frantic and angst-ridden lyrics balanced with lilting collages of synthesized and stringed upbeat instrumentation. The band achieves the same dichotomy here, but it seems even more confusingly natural when comparing to their previous songs. It’s clear that, despite the song’s lyrical anxiety, Parker knows he has everything under control. this impression is given by the fact that the song’s backing goes from little more than ancillary for its word-heavy first portion, to central for its percussive middle, to simply staggering for its harmonic fadeout. Most impressive is a section in the middle of the song where Parker incorporates 30 seconds of a single, repeated synth note. The pulsing, percussive reiteration is a far cry from accelerating and self-conscious mainstream EDM drops. When the drums build, the melody darkens and a modulated version of the main synth line bursts forth from the drone without any quickening of tempo. Despite its simplicity, the swell is just as exhilarating as any more complex instrumental coda. The last two minutes of the song, which find Parker harmonizing with himself. Given his meticulous production and song craft, it’s hard to believe Parker can be taking his own meditative advice.

After analysing the tempo, logistics, melody and some of the outstanding lyrics within 'Let it Happen' we then attempted to link this to some ideas we had relating the narrative of our music video. We have decided to base our plot lines on the idea of 'Binary Opposition' a binary opposition is a pair of related terms or concepts that are opposite in meaning. We aim to work with around ten individuals within our music video. Eight of which are divided into couples and two which are reserved as extras and could be used in shots with neon glow in the dark face paint and abstract innovative shots that link back to the psychedelic genre. When looking further into the narrative behind our music video we decided to take major inspiration from similar artists and Tame Impala themselves, because of this I will be looking into music videos that are in keeping with our chosen genre and looking for shots in which we can take inspiration and guidance from.

Lip sync practise

We were tasked with creating a practice lip sync video, in which we had to demonstrate our ability to sync and edit a moving image with a song.  In trying to remain as consistent as possible when working this year we decided to stay within our chosen genre of psychedelic rock and also to apply our skills to two Tame Impala songs. We also felt like this would best prepare us for our final stages of editing with slow and faced paced signing within most Tame Impala's songs. This could later pose a challenge when merging many videos with the same song and allowing it to flow as one seamless video. 

Overall the outcome of the lip sync is basic and could be massively improved with a higher level of editing. This could be achieved through the exploration of various editing programmes such as premier pro as well as iMovie. I have researched various editing programmes in hopes of being able to massively improve the content in which we will film over the next few months. As from AS Media, i learnt that the content in the videos itself is not always sufficient and editing possesses the ability to dramatically alter the overall mood and outcome of a final product. What I will take away from creating this small lip sync is the appreciation for the length of time it takes to edit and sync such small sections of the video when taking into consideration the length of Tame Impala songs which normally range from three to four mins. I will make sure to allow ample time for editing of each section of film. 

Band biography-Tame Impala

Psychedelic rock has never really gone out of fashion since the Beatles brought it to the mainstream in the late '60s, with proponents like Pink Floyd and the Flaming Lips managing to make long careers out of mining its every seam. In the 2010s, there is no more popular psych pop group than Australia's Tame Impala. Kevin Parker (vocals/guitar) and Dominic Simper (bass) formed the band as 13-year-olds in Perth in 1999, sticking to bedroom recordings until 2007, when Jay Watson joined them on drums and backing vocals. Their sound was pure late '60s, but wasn't the sound of any specific band from the era. They were as likely to channel the Nazz as the Jimi Hendrix Experience. Cocooned away inside walls of psychedelic fuzz in Western Australia, they re-created their preferred period one song at a time with the aid of gear and production techniques that sounded like they hadn't been dusted off since 1968.

Like a lot of the buzz bands of the mid- to late 2000s Tame Impala's story involves MySpace. The social networking website rocketed them from a teenage garage band to the sought-after trophy in a multiple-label bidding war. It started when Modular Records sent them a message after hearing several songs on their MySpace page and asked for more. Tame Impala sent them a demo with 20 songs, which led to requests and offers from everyone under the sun. After consideration, they stuck with the label that had shown first interest, and signed with Modular in 2008. In September of that year they released their first self-titled EP. There was some confusion among reviewers, several of whom referred to the release as "Antares, Mira, Sun" after the notes written on the artwork, a representation of the Orion Nebula drawn by bandleader and songwriter Parker. As well as drawing the art, the perfectionist Parker micromanaged the recording, performing every instrument himself.

The EP went to number ten on the ARIA charts and number one on the independent label charts. Though Parker played everything in the studio, live Tame Impala functioned as a real band, though at their early gigs they were famously unprepared and never wore shoes. At one such shambolic gig for a Vice Magazine party in Melbourne, indie electropop band MGMT's label manager caught their act and was impressed enough to offer them the support slot when his band toured Australia. That year they also supported the Black Keys and You Am I on national tours. In 2010, Tame Impala made their full-length debut with the Dave Fridmann-mixed Inner speaker. Recorded mostly in a remote beach house four hours outside Perth, Parker did almost all the music, this time letting Watson and Simper contribute a little bit. The album was a critical and popular success, gaining the band fans all over the globe, being nominated for many awards in Australia including ARIA Album of the Year and winning the J Album of the Year nod.

Shortly after the record's release, Parker returned to his home studio in Perth to begin work on new material, which he began recording while the band was on tour. Along the way he lost half the album when his iPod fell out of his bag, he moved to Paris (where he produced Melody's Echo Chamber's album), and eventually, after a year of mixing with Dave Fridmann, he finished the album. Released in 2012, Lonerism was a less guitar-heavy, far weirder album than Inner speaker, yet it made an even bigger splash. Tame Impala repeated as winners of the J Award for Album of the Year and topped many year-end polls (including NME), and the record was nominated for Best Alternative Album at the Grammys. All this success made Parker an in-demand collaborator, and Mark Ronson was the biggest name to make a connection, with Parker working on a handful of tracks on Ronson's Uptown Special album.

At the same time, Parker and some friends formed the space disco band AAA Aardvark Getdown Services. These were touchstones for the next Tame Impala record, 2015's Currents, which saw their sound expanded to include more up-tempo, dance music-informed tracks and some smooth R&B stylings.

Analysis of opening shots of students work

Opening shots of Wake Up- A2 Media Studies Music Video Analysis

Ellie and I have found ourselves struggling in terms of how we want to start our music video. After analysing professional music videos by bands such as Fall Out Boy and Catfish And The Bottlemen I took it upon myself to look into students music video openings from previous year groups. One that really stood out to me in regards to the opening of the music video was a students music video to the song Wake Up by Zara Larsson. The shot opens with a widening landscape cut from black to a moving image of the road with cars parked either side, this confirms to the audience that the setting for the music video will be a basic English town (or so the audience is made to believe at this point in the video). AS this shot continues large, bold white text appears with the artist's name and song title. The font used is a typical font associated with the Dance/electronic music videos. The opening beats of the song contrast to the high speed of the vehicle in which the go pro is attached to. The next shot is very similar to the first but shows a higher perspective shot showing the road ahead, this shot is accompanied with the next line of text which depicts the director of the music video in the same conventional large white font. The next series of shots show a block of flats, then the inside of the ground floor apartments, the shots follow a young man waking up and going about his morning routine, and over the shoulder shot of the man’s face looking at himself in the mirror shows his emotions clearly, the man appears tired and bored to the audience. The opening is relatively simple in regards to the rest of the video and the events that unfold. To add to this the opening shots of the students work will act as a corner stone to the narrative of the video as the character in the video will end the video where it began. This is a unique idea that Ellie and I could develop in our own way, where the narrative starts and ends in a similar fashion, as though the audience has followed the character and/or characters on a roundtrip and the video draws to and end where it opened.