Research and planning checklist

You need the following documents in your folder for your Research and Planning:

Assignment 3: Pre-production

In your group OR individually, you need to complete the following planning:

1) Storyboard
2) Shotlist
3) Mise-en-scene planning

You need a minimum of 3 pages EACH

Storyboard

• Use the skills you have already developed in Assignment 2.
• Create a visual ‘feel’ for what you want your music video to look like – you won’t be able to storyboard every shot.
• Use a wide variety of creative shots and draw them accurately.

Shot list

• The shot list is the single most important pre-production document – you will tick off each shot while shooting.
• There will be far more shots on the shot list than in the storyboard.
• You will need at least one shot for every second of the track you have chosen.

Mise-en-scene planning

• This document involves all the planning for anything appearing in front of the camera: actors/cast, locations, costumes, props, make-up, lighting.
• Use images to show you have planned each aspect of mise-en-scene (mobile phone/ Google images/ Google maps are all acceptable here).

The deadline for all your research and planning is the Wednesday after half-term (26 February) BUT if you want to sign out a camera to film over half-term then you'll need to complete everything by this Friday 14 February.

Audience focus group - example

Look at this example of an audience focus group for Kings of Leon: Beautiful War.

Good luck!

Research and Planning: Audience

Focus group
You need to conduct some audience research with another individual/group in the class. This is called a focus group and you then write up the feedback you get to help target your audience and refine your music video concept.

Example

Artist/song 
Kings of Leon: Beautiful War

Music video concept
Three locations for this slow, atmospheric song. One: walking in slow motion by River Thames at dusk/late afternoon looking moody. Two: drama studio, blacked out, single spotlight, singing track. Three: bedroom – super slow motion black and white pillow fight between boy and girl as song reaches crescendo.

Target audience for Kings of Leon video

• Alternative music/rock/indie fans. 
• Age range 15-45 but largely 16-30.
• Slightly more males then females (60/40). 
• Largely white British race/ethnicity
• Largely middle class ABC1 demographic. 
• Likely to live in towns and cities but not exclusively.
• Happy adopting new technology and regularly uses social networking sites and the internet.
• Very likely to own an Apple product/mp3 player and take their music seriously.
• Enjoys a drink – likely to be beer rather than wine.

Focus group instructions

Pair up with another group/individual.

One group pitches their idea and target audience.

The other group offers feedback: WWW, EBI and whether they personally would be interested in that music video and why.

Next, in Microsoft Word,  produce a one-page write-up of your focus group discussion.

Include the following:

1) Your chosen artist/song

2) Your proposed target audience details

3) The feedback you received from another group and what you plan to change about the video due to your audience research

Aim for 250 words in total

Audience Profile

Create an A4 Audience Profile in Photoshop for your band/artist.

Your Audience Profile needs to include the following:

1) Band/artist logo or graphic

2) Demographic breakdown of target audience

3) Lifestyle statements that the target audience would agree with

4) Collage of brands/items that your target audience would use or enjoy

Finish all of this for homework - due next Wednesday.

Music video treatment: plan

Task: Write a shortlist of five tracks you could use for your music video and then choose one and develop a full written treatment outlining your plan.

Use the following guide to help you write your music video treatment. You do not need to stick to these headings if you want to take a slightly different or creative approach to your music video treatment.


Shortlist of five tracks (artist/song title) that you may use:


Selected track:


Concept – sum up the music video in one sentence


Scene/location 1:


Scene/location 2:


Scene/location 3:


Additional notes/scenes:


Pace/colour/tone/feel of video:

Music video treatment: notes

Music video treatment

At the beginning of every music video project, there is a need to work with the artist to define a desired treatment. A video treatment, also known as video concept, outlines information with regards to what the music video will be about.

Conceptually, a music video could show the artist performing the song in front of a live audience or by itself; alternatively, a music video can also present a story line where certain situations and storytelling takes place. Furthermore, it can also be an experimental exercise where random images are shown to complement the music in a more abstract way. All of these angles constitute the treatment, or concept, of a music video.

However, a video treatment goes beyond this exercise of defining the overall direction of the video. The treatment goes down to describe the kind of locations, situations, stories, images, look and feel, tone and colour, pacing and so on of the music video. Even though most treatment writers don't follow specific guidelines or structures, a well written treatment is one that can successfully communicate complete ideas to artists.

Summarizing, a music video treatment is the starting point of every project. It allows the production company to communicate its ideas to the artists and it allows artists to make decisions regarding the direction of their video. The treatment also helps production companies to write production budgets that are accurate and that give artists a complete view of what to expect when embarking on the production of their music video.

Source: Creando Music Video Production

Example music video treatment

Alt-J: Breezeblocks by Ellis Bahl 

Three shots, slow motion, played in reverse.

Cool tones. Blues and Whites.

Scene 1: A man sits on the floor of a bathroom, head in hands.

The camera moves to the bathtub, the water is running, a fully clothed woman lies submerged, a breezeblock on her stomach. Her hair floats on top of the water, hiding her face. Blood slowly runs backwards into her head. The man gets up and the breezeblock bounces up off the woman's head and into his hands. He puts it on the ground next the the tub. The two of them scuffle.

Scene 2: They sprint backwards down the hallway. Her in front, him in back. (he's chasing her) They backwards fight through a flat. They unshatter dishes and bookshelves stand up with books placing themselves back into order as they reverse fight their way through the apartment.

Scene 3: They make their way towards the front door. A knife flies off the floor and into the woman's hand. The man grapples with her. He turns away from her and she recedes into the shadows. 

The man looks down into a cupboard. ANOTHER woman is tied up and sucking in a scream. Her eyes close. They kiss. They stop and the man slaps ducktape over her mouth. He closes the door. He walks backwards, flips the lights off and exits out the front door.

The woman with the knife returns and opens the cupboard. The tied up woman's eyes are filled with terror. The knife woman says something. "I think I'll have a bath while we wait for your Husband to get home. You don't mind, do you?"