Summer project tasks

Research: music videos

Rina Sawayama - Hold The Girl: Narrative

• The music video starts in a state of disequilibrium with the main character attempting to escape from the building she is currently in but is continuously pulled back after each escape attempt, this could represent someone trying to escape from a negative environment but something is holding them back and preventing them from leaving. Halfway through the music video the house starts to deteriorate which could be a representation of the situation getting worse for the main character but it also reveals a hole in the ground where she sees a representation of "the girl" that the artist is singing about and only by reaching out to her and accepting her can the main character finally break free from whatever force is tying her back to the house. The other people running away from the house could represent a support system that the main character has gained which helps her escape from the house or it could also be interpreted as other people who were going through a similar situation to the main character also breaking free from their house showing the audience who might be going through a tough time that they are not alone and that others are also going through similar situations to them.

beabadoobee, Laufey - A Night To Remember: Camerawork (shots, angles, movement)

• Most shots in this music video are filmed in long shots on a stationary camera creating connotations of a stage play, this is done as the audience are passive viewers watching the story being told by the two artists from a distance without being able to get involved. During more intimate moments between the two actors the camera will transition from the detached presentation of the stage play into a more personal mid shot showing the audience a clearer view of the actors facial expressions in the moment. During the music video the camera is mostly stationary in order to get the effect of mimicking a stage however there are moments where the camera will move to follow the two characters as they move to transition from one set to another. The use of a still camera also allows for these transitions between areas that may not be near each other as the audience does not see what's off screen and so it is believable that each set could be right next to each other.

Stella Jang - Villain: Mise-en-scene

• Throughout the music video every costume features either black or white which plays into the videos themes of morality as both colours are often used to represent good and evil (e.g. angels wearing white, most Disney villains wearing black) however unlike most uses of the colours his music video instead has both colours being worn when "villainous" acts are being done in order to push the idea that morality is not black and white. Furthermore in each costume there is some red in order to represent how everyone has the capability to be a villain and it is not restricted to certain people. In the music video their is also multiple uses of religious imagery through the portrayal of angels and devils which are stereotypically seen as representations of good and bad however to further the idea pushed by the song they are seen to both be saying "are we good are we bad" showing how even things that some view as unchangeable truths of morality can be perceived differently by someone else.

Charli xcx - Von dutch: Editing

• Throughout this music video there are multiple cuts back to back, this has been done in order to create a fast paced and action packed video which fits the pace of the music. The video features a lot of transitions that have been used in order to either transition to the same location but with Charli looking more injured or having her clothes more damaged or to transition to a new location, both of these are used to continue the fast paced feel of the video by having things change quickly instead of slowly fading from one scene to the next.

Bree Runway - Pressure: Conventions

• In this music video there is a link between the lyrics and the visuals for example when she sings "you wanna take a photo" there is the sound of a photo being taken and we can see the flash of the camera that took the photo. Throughout the music video there is a constant notion of looking as Bree Runway often is making eye contact with the camera fitting the tone of the music video as she is putting pressure on the audience. Furthermore the video meets the demands of the record label as it often features close up shots of Bree Runway performing multiple times throughout the video and mainly focuses on her with only a couple of shots focusing on the back up dancers. The music video is performance based as a majority of the video is the artist and back up dancers performing to the song. Additionally the video features a sexualised outfit that Bree Runway wears multiple times throughout the video which is a convention of music videos.

Madison Beer - Make You Mine: Visual effects, intertextuality or product placement

• This entire music video is a reference to the cult classic horror movie "Jennifer's body" that released on the 4th of November in 2009, this can be seen through the costume which matches the style of clothes seen in the movie and the plot which follows the character played by Madison Beer who seems to not be a human killing a man. There are other references in the video such as at 30 seconds in which references the cheerleader scene from American beauty. The uses of references to old cult classic movies attracts the fans of the movies alongside the fans of the artist and gives them the appearance of being well versed in culture as they referenced something that isnt in the mainstream.

Planning: music video treatment

Artist/band and song you will use for your video:

Again & Again - the bird and the bee

Original name for artist/band you have created : Coloured Concrete

The music video will be narrative focused with small segments of the artists performing throughout the video.

The narrative will tell the story of an artist who is currently struggling to create anything meaningful and finds themselves going through the motions of life again & again, it will start in disequilibrium following them as they get up and go to their art studio during this sequence their will be multiple shots showing the logo of the shoe brand (e.g. close up of the shoe when walking). When they arrive they will be shown to be struggling with creating something and will also be shown to be doubting themselves and their ability to create something they can be proud of.

During the chorus the music video will cut to a shot of both artists performing the song.

The video will then repeat a similar situation to the previous one multiple times in quick succession showing the artist slowly overcome their problem culminating in them creating a piece that will serve as a title card to make the video reach the 3 minutes specified by the brief.

Statement of Intent

Write the first draft for your genuine 500-word Statement of Intent. This will be submitted to the exam board alongside your media products and is worth 10 marks of the overall 60 marks available.

The original AQA brief is here: NEA Student Booklet - Brief 4.

We also strongly recommend you look at our Statement of Intent questions to consider document too (you'll need to log in with your Greenford Google account to read this). 

This is just your first draft of the statement so try and keep it under 500 words if you can. That will leave a bit of room to add later when you do your next draft.

For my coursework I’m going to use the song “Again & Again” by the band “the bird and the bee”, I believe that this song fits the brief of appealing to a mainstream audience as it is in the indie pop genre which is becoming more popular in the 2020s with artists like beabadoobee and TV girl having around 20 million monthly listeners on spotify, the song I have chosen has 27 million streams on spotify and was trending on social medias like tik tok in the summer of 2024. The original name for my band is “coloured concrete” and for the music video they will be sponsored by Vans. The original name for the music magazine is “Echo”.

In order to meet the brief I will create a 3 minute long music video telling the story of an artist -which will be played by a member of the band- who struggles to find meaning in their work, this video will be shot in multiple different locations such as the artists home and their art studio. In order to incorporate the sponsorship I will have a graphic in the opening of the video stating that the video was made in collaboration with Vans and there will be multiple close up shots where the characters will be shown to be wearing Vans products. The music video will have multiple shots of the artists performing as this would be a requirement of the company backing them. The narrative of the music video will follow Todorov’s theory of equilibrium starting in a state of disequilibrium with the main character struggling to create a piece of work, this story will end with the character reaching a new equilibrium as they manage to overcome their personal struggle with art.

For my music magazine (which will be similar to “Music week” magazine as it features both up and coming and well established artists) I plan to have my band featured on the front cover with a selling line talking about the exclusive interview with the band inside, this interview will be used in order to promote the artists upcoming tour and recent album release and will also mention the brand that sponsored the artist. The front cover will also feature a cover price, dateline, five cover lines and two additional photos related to the content inside of the magazine e.g. photos of other artists. The additional page will have a feature on the influence of social media on music and how some artists attempt to make “clippable” moments in their song that can potentially go viral on social media such as tik tok. My magazine will have at least 7 photos in total with one on each page in order to meet the brief.

(458 words)