Filming hope in water 2

Simran and Abbie tried filming the paper in water shot in a small stream at the back of Simran's house although these were probably the best shots we have managed to get for this section so far it is still not exactly what we want as the paper got tangled in the pebbles and rocks towards the end and it was very dark. So we have done some digging around in our clips of our actor singing and found some shots that work really well where he is sitting on a bench singing the words and doing actions. We think this works just as well int terms of matching lyrics and visuals and also keeps the focus on our actor/singer who is the main element to our video.

Filming hope in water

Simran and I have tried to film the word hope written on a piece of a paper and see what it looks like floating in a bath tub, although this was a long shot we thought we should give it a try. Unfortunately it is quite obvious it is a bath tub and so as a shot it doesn't work very well in what we were trying to achieve.

Filming day 3

Today we filmed the extra shots that didn't need Mossy in. We filmed in Gerrards Cross after school, we were hoping to use the small pond to float the piece of paper with the word hope on, to match lyrics and visuals as the lyrics are "down this river every turn, hope is a four letter word", unfortunately we could not use the pond in the end as when we got there we found there was a specific algae that was poisonous so we couldn't actually go near the pond to film. So we moved onto Abbie's house because we wanted to use her fire pit so that we could get shots that we reflect the lyrics  "make that money watch it burn" but will also add difference and excitement into the video and so we could film our shots of food colouring in water.

We filmed the shots of food colouring in water first which turned out to be fantastic and a very effective shot. We think it will be a very interesting shot to have to break up the shots of walking but I also think it will mirror the progression and journey we are overall trying to show throughout the video. This is because as the food colouring hits the water strands of the colouring develop and extend from the main body of colouring and grow and develop which is like the different paths he could take.

Then we filmed the fire pit which again was a really exciting shot, we had to print out pictures of money to actually burn to fit with the line and the meaning of song. It took us a while to actually get the fire started but once we had we got some great shots of the fake money burning, we had different camera angles, simran filmed above the fire pit, I filmed a closer shot at about the same height as the pit and we had Abbie throwing the pictures into the fire. Abbie practised a few times throwing in blank pieces of paper to make sure we would actually get them in shot and to see how quickly they burned and if then it was actually a good enough shot to use. They indeed were as the money didn't burn too quickly and so should be great to use in the video.

In terms of filming the paper in water I think we are going to have to explore more options such as perhaps going to Marlow and using the river Thames as there is a path just by it or somewhere else. Simran and I are going to try and use a bath tub filled with water and see if we can get the paper moving in that and whether maybe we could work with a shot like that. But this may be too obvious and cheapen the look of the video.

Editing

We did our first session of editing today, putting all our shots for each section on the track and editing it down from there, we want to match up the change of shots to the change of beat which we have found to be quite tricky but just means making the timeline more precise in its time and patience. It went really well and we have our first 20 seconds done!

Importing and Editing

Today we are importing our shots to start editing! As we have finished all our preliminary tasks this is what we are going to be focusing on from now on which is very exciting!

Making an Advert

We have decided to use both photoshop and InDesign, photoshop to black out the photo of Mossy so that there is just him but use InDesign to piece together everything for the final product

Making an Advert

Our main influences for our advertisement are:

I loved this advertisement because it is very eye catching with the basic colours of black, white and gold but it is also clear and concise, getting across to the reader the exact information needed.

I think this is also a great advertisement as it is again clear and concise but it is also quite different, I specifically like the type being slanted in the black text boxes. 

We noticed that the most important information like the name of the artist, title of the album, and when the album is out is quite high up on the poster and is emboldened and then as you look down the poster the type is smaller and no longer emboldened. As it is selling and promoting the artist both use large photos of the artists which is effective and intriguing. 

Creating the advertisement for a magazine

Today we started work on our preliminary task of an advert meant for a magazine for our artist and song. We brainstormed what you would normally see in ads, so what kind of information they would put on there and how this information would be worded. I looked in different magazines to clarify, magazines that focused on music such as NME but also magazines that were more focused on other things like fashion, this meant that I got a true understanding of what would catch the readers attention and what would be best to include. We also started thinking about what software we would use to create it, maybe even a poster template if only for practise.

Second Day of filming

Here is a video of our second day of filming!

Filming Day 2

Today was our second day of filming and as we managed to do a lot of filming on the first day we only had the office shots and the hall/auditions shot left to do.

We started a bit later at 10:00 this time round and Mossy (our actor) met us at school. We started off by filming in one of our teachers offices where we had Mossy in a suit sitting at the desk acting very bored. We tried different shots, one from the corner of the room using the tripod so Mossy is centre of the shot and the office can be seen around him, we also used a birds eye shot which we did handheld and as far up as we could reach. The reason for the first shot was because we wanted the storyline to have Mossy walk around the table and push open the door in anger and frustration at his job and unfulfilling life so we wanted it to be smooth pan round the room. This was slightly difficult as the room was quite small so we filmed a pan where he walked round the desk in anger a few times and then also one shot of him getting up from the desk and then walking past the camera and another shot where he walks past the camera and kicks the door open.

We then filmed him throwing the papers down in another. This we had to film around 3 times to get the dramatic effect which we achieved by making the shot narrower and closer to the paper actually falling.

Moving on the hall shots, we filmed on the stage as we could then use the different types of lighting and because it gave more of a sense of an audition, which we were trying to achieve. We cleared the stage, set out a table and chairs and to make it more realistic got some mugs and paper so that our actors for our judges could have some props to use. We also decided to close the curtains so that there were no distractions in the back of the shots. We shot from the side of both the judges and singer as well as in front of both, as we were able to use the tripod and dolly in this case we had some fun trying out different shots like moving the camera up to mossy whilst he was performing and spinning the camera around whilst it focuses on the lights.

Changing the photos on the website

We have recently found out that we cannot use the photos we found on Mossy's social networking sites so we are using photos that are automatically taken by the cameras when we were filming but are also going to take some photos at the end of our next filming day (the 1st).

We are also going to change the background photo but as we loved the photo of a road and thought it encapsulated the narrative and theme of our video we are going to use a photo of a street we used as a location in the video.

Filming Day 1

We started filming today! we started at school at 9:00 without our actor because we needed to set up the common room to look like a flat. This involved putting up a lot of posters that Simran and I had brought from home to cover school photos for team building and things like that. We moved the chairs to look like two sofas and put a blanket and cushions over them to make it look a little bit more homely, we also had to change the items that were on the shelves that can be seen when Mossy walks out of the room, as there were originally folders and sheets. We changed this to mugs and books as well as an ipod dock. 

As we wanted to make it look a bit disordered and messy we put some plates and mugs out and packets of crisps on the tables. I had also noticed that we could see through to the room next to the common room in the practise shots which is full of desks and computers which would ruin the illusion of a flat, to combat this I found a large black sheet and hung this up on the other side of the door frame, hiding the room and its contents. To make the room look a bit darker and not very nice we also pulled down the blinds. 

Mossy met us at school at 10:00 and we went out to film in the woods first as we did not want to loose the light because, it being winter, it starts to get dark at around four. We started with the shots where he is walking and then swings the guitar which should go with the line "I see this life like a swinging vine
Swing my heart across the line". We filmed this whole verse with him playing the guitar and performing and walking with different shots, such as wide and close up. We had close ups of him playing guitar and of him lip syncing as well as him walking. 

We also did this for the chorus and second verse for security in shots. Whilst we were filming we tried to think of different shots that would make the video different and interesting, some of these were having Mossy kick leaves toward the camera, this was quite a close shot focusing on his feet walking towards the camera. We thought this would be interesting if we slowed the clip down when the leaves are kicked so the full effect of the movement of the leaves is captured. We also had Mossy stand and perform and then at a low angle (so the camera is facing up towards him) Simran filmed him and moved round him, whilst I pulled her along making sure the pace was steady and she didn't fall, allowing her to focus on the shot. We then filmed mossy lip syncing on a bench and where he moves to the camera and pushes it away; we had to do this shot quite a few times as it made the camera shake more than I had previously thought.

We then moved to the high street to do the busking shots, we used the steps leading to a church because we thought this fit with him losing faith and we felt it was a good setting. We tried two different shots one being quite wide so the setting would bee seen as well as Mossy and the hat (with money being thrown in to the hat) and we did a close up of the hat with money being thrown in to it. This time we filmed with two cameras so we could get two angles and switch between the two. All the shots we filmed outside such as in the woods and the busking shots we filmed with out a tripod and dolly because it made the shots flow more and was more practical as the ground was uneven. All the shots we filmed outside such as in the woods and the busking shots we filmed with out a tripod and dolly because it made the shots flow more and was more practical as the ground was uneven. 

After lunch we went back to school to film the shots in the common room, stairs and chapel. Although we had practised the common room shots quite a lot I found it quite difficult to film as actually filming as I found I was not fast enough moving the camera to match his walking and then in speeding that up it became a little bit more difficult to direct the camera with Mossy when he went to pick up the guitar off the sofa. But the more we did it the better it got and we ended up having one person looking and directing the camera and another directing them and the pace. We also were very aware of the tennis courts just outside the door that could be seen when the door was opened and through the window which would contradict our aim of having an unpleasant flat. To hide this we put black paper over the window on the outside, which actually added to the "rough" flat look and thought that to hide the tennis court when he opens the door would edit the shot and cut it where it is no longer seen. Through out these shots we used a tripod and dolly, the only exception being the shots going up the stairs. 

Throughout the day we made sure that we all swapped round roles so that everyone filmed and directed some shots. 

Filming opportunity..

Unfortunately we are unable to film at Mossy's Performance at the Beck theatre because of restrictions on filming of the performance as set out by the organisers but also we have difficulty with the dates and how we were going to be able to get there. Although this is a shame it won't cause any problems to our filming and our overall project as it was a possibility not a necessity.

Filming Opportunity

As mentioned previously in my post about filming in Ruislip, Mossy has informed us that he will be performing this sunday in Hayes at the Beck Theatre we thought that as the shots we filmed in ruislip (due to the weather and him being in a group) did not work as well as we had hoped this would be a fantastic opportunity to get the shots we need for the end of our music video and some general performance shots. It also means we will have first hand experience of Mossy performing which will be useful for when we are working with him.

Another change of filming dates!

Mossy has just told us that he is no longer available on the 16th, so we are going to continue to film on the 23rd and then will also film on the 30th. Hopefully this is the final time we will have to change our filming dates!

The benefit though of having the filming on two weekends, we hope, will be that we can start editing our shots and see if we need to re-film anything in the week gap we have.

Nine Frame Analysis:Bastille

Bastille- Pompeii

I think this is a great opening shot for the video because it epitomises how alone he is meant to be through out the video. This shot gets closer and closer towards him which allows the audience to realise the focus is on him. As the audience cannot see his facial expressions it makes the audience start to question who is he and why he is there, making them continue to watch the video. also o actually see him and see his face so that he isn't, as he is at the beginning of this shot, just lost amongst the crowd for the audience. They can see through his facial expressions the emotion and so become attached which perhaps makes them want to continue to watch the video more.

The shot is continually moving not just staying still. This contrasts the character and the city which are very definite, as if it is him versus the city. The movement of the shot keeps it interesting for the audience and keeps continuity as the following shots are also moving.

The audience finally get to see his face in the 3rd shot. To actually see him and see his face means that he isn't, as he is at the beginning of the first shot, just lost amongst the crowd for the audience. They can see through his facial expressions his emotions and so become attached which perhaps makes them want to continue to watch the video more. It also focus's the video more, as it is clear this is who we will be following through the video.

This shot changes its focal length so that, as in this print screen, the background is in focus and then it narrows to focus on him. This perhaps reinforces the idea of it being him versus the city as it seems to be his constantly watching the city.
I think this may be a good shot to use in our music video as it allows the audience to focus on one point and then the bigger picture.

The focus is continually on him which keeps continuity within the video.

The 7th shot is quite dramatic and because it is quite simple allows for the focus to turn to the lyrics of the song.

In the last two shots the movement from the camera and character seem to swap round as the camera does not move as much but the character does. The different shots in the same place suggests he is moving further than he actually is.

Nine Frame Analysis: Foo Fighters

Walk by The Foo Fighters: 

The first shot shows the main "character" of the music video and who's story we will be following throughout.  As this shot is so close up the audience can really feel his frustration immediately but it also lets the audience know that this is the main person. 

The second wider shot then allows the audience to see his situation, this being after the shot showing his frustration allows the audience to make the link of why he is frustrated and bored. 

The next four shots last for a shorter amount of time and therefore accurately show a build up in emotion paralleling the first shot. And when you take all shots from the first to the 6th it smoothly takes the audience from one point and one perspective going further out to see out that one point fits in to everything else, almost becoming consumed by the situation.  

After having taken the video further out seeing whats around the character and whats going on, the focus is brought back reinforcing that he is the centre of the video and that we are going to see his experiences and how things relate to him. This keeps the video clear to the audience and easily understandable.

The 8th shot brings in other characters to the music video setting the tone for the video, which is comic, and brings more interest to the video.

Filming in Ruislip

Abbie and I just got back from Ruislip filming Mossy perform. He was performing with his singing group the Penny Lane Singers, they were fantastic but obviously we needed shots of Mossy performing on his own and were lucky enough to film him singing a solo. Our main aim was to get him performing to a crowd, which although we did get in these shots it was sadly raining and as it was outside most people had umbrellas up, so we did not get the full effect that we initially wanted. However, he is doing a performance on his own soon and he invited us to come to this event, which we are very excited to attend.

We will put the clips up soon!

Turning on the lights in Ruislip

Our actor, Mossy Mckenna, will be with his singing group switching on the lights in Ruislip and then performing this saturday (9/11/2013). We thought that this would be an ideal opportunity to film him performing to a crowd and would be useful shots to use for the end of our music video where we want him to have achieved his dream of being a performing musician. Unfortunately, Simran can't make it so Abbie and I will travel to Ruislip and film him! This will also be our first time meeting him in person so we are quite excited!

Change of filming dates

So we have had to change one of the dates for filming as our actor had some problems with getting to Gerrards Cross on the 17th, so we have now got the 16th and 23rd to film and will hopefully be filming in school on the 16th and around Gerrards Cross on the 23rd, for example in the forest by the common and along the high street.

Props

1. Acoustic guitar
2. Bowl/guitar case to collect money whilst on street, busking
3. Laptop (for him to be working on at the beginning of the song) 
4. Audition sheet x2 (1 for chapel shot, 1 to stick on door)
5. Black sheet to cover up a doorway 
6. Bowl with a colour dye (to make the effect in water)
7. Fire-pitt 
8. Sheets of paper with deadlines on (to be slammed down on his desk at work, at the beginning of the song)
9. Pillows 
10. Posters 

Costume

After multiple discussions, we have decided that costume wise we would like Mossy to seem effortlessly cool. Similar to that of groups like, Lawson, OneRepublic and Connor Maynard. Therefore, we concluded that he would wear a simple white t-shirt, leather jacket or waistcoat with skinny black jeans and either boots or brogues.

Risk Assessment

We have done a risk assessment to make sure we took all necessary safety precautions.

Website pages: About

Here is the about page for our website for our artist Mossy Mckenna. We thought that this would be a great page for the fans who this website is aimed at. To give old and new fans some background knowledge about him which may make them more attached to him as an musician and want to continue to follow him more. It also gives them a bit more of an understanding of who Mossy is an individual and therefore keep up the musician-fan relationship.

We have published the website!

We have finished our website for our artist Mossy Mckenna!

We researched many different artists websites such as Connor Maynard, JLS, One Republic, Ed Sheeran and many others. We have tried to include everything that you would normally see on a musicians website so have pages about tour dates and pictures from concerts.

We also tried to think of any information that fans may want to know or find out and allow them to write comments and communicate with each other.

Here is the link to the finished product- http://i07dhsim.wix.com/mossymckenna

Wood practise shots

Here are some of the shots we practised for the wood.

Hall practise shots

Here are the shots we practised for the hall, we are filming from 4 different angles.

chapel practise shots

Here is the film from the shots we practised for the chapel location. As we used the tripod and the dolly we found that we are going to have to take a row of chairs out to keep the shot smooth. We wanted to keep him in shot the whole time so we have to point the camera down as it goes round and then slightly go up again as the actor stand up.

Practise shots 3

We filmed practise shots in the chapel today as we have decided that rather having Mossy sit outside a church looking as if he has lost faith the shot may be more effective if we use the inside of an empty chapel. We also felt it may be better for him to see the audition sheet on a notice board, where you would normally see one, rather than to just find one in the street.

So we now are thinking about having a shot where the audience can see him sitting in an empty chapel, the camera walks down the aisle to him turns round and see his face (so the audience can see his expressions). He then gets up to leave walks back down the aisle and walks out. As he is doing so, he sees the audition sheet on the door, the camera focus' on it so the audience can fully read it, he rips it off the door and walks out with a new determination and enthusiasm. We think this will get across that performing and being a musician is his dream and what he wants achieve.

We will have the practise shots up soon!

Practise shots 2

Today we went out into Gerrards Cross to practise our shots in the woods that are by Gerrards Cross Common. Unfortunately it was very rainy and cold but we did get some good shots and found that actually filming with the camera hand held was not as bumpy as we first though it would be (we couldn't use the dolly and the tripod as the ground was too wet and we were continually moving). We now know exactly where we want to film in the woods and what angles we want to film from

The weather was, rather stupidly, something we hadn't really considered before so today definitely brought it to our attention..overall we think the shots will be good as long as we have an umbrella to cover the camera but we know its going to be more difficult for our actor and may make it more difficult in that he may look different if we need to re-do shots so we will have to keep checking the weather updates and make sure we have enough umbrellas and rain macs to keep us all dry! we are even considering a pop up tent to bring along with us to protect everyone and everything.

Practise shots

We have done some practise shots of our music video to preempt any problems and to make things go smoothly for when we actually film.

The problem we first came across was keeping the camera steady whilst it being moved, how we overcame this was by using a dolly. This meant we had a lot more freedom with the movement of the camera, we could keep the shots at the pace we wanted them to be at and could turn the camera quite quickly. In using the dolly we thought it would be best to have someone directing the actual camera itself and seeing the shots and then have someone in front but not in the shot just pushing the tripod/ dolly so that someone could see where they were actually going and someone could see the actual shot, as we were walking backwards. The next problem we encountered, was filming going up the stairs as we thought it would be better to hold the camera by hand the difficulty with this is is that there is either too much room above the actors head or it gets cut off slightly. We thought that this would just be something we would have to be aware on on the day and purposely move the camera as necessary.

Here are all the things we need to make sure happen for the shots to be the best they can be:

Common room:

• Make sure all chairs are on the right
• camera close to the breakfast bar
• Wheels of the dolly must all be facing the same way for the shot to be smooth.

Going up stairs: 

• Follow actor from behind
• hand held camera
• start a little bit further back from the stairs

Hall Auditions: 

• One shot from the back of the hall to get all the stage in and the backs of the judges. 
• Side shot of judges and contestant
• Shot from behind Mossy on stage.

Audience Research

The results of our survey suggested that most people that listened to the genre and had a detailed knowledge of it were aged 16-18 and were female therefore this is who we will aim our video at and focus on their ideas and suggested conventions.

Website inspiration

We are looking at making a website for our 'artist' so we thought we would do some research and look around to see how some artists have done it and what they have included. Here is what we have found and liked: Connor Maynard- OneRepublic- The Script- Lawson- The main things we liked about these were that they were all easy to navigate which would of course be something we wish to have in ours as well as there stylish backgrounds and settings.

The tour dates are something that is quite important for people to know about and is a good way for fans to know where to buy there tickets and where the band is playing. 

I really like the idea of having a photo gallery for the bands website as I think it is something fans would want to see as they may be unable to see them live but want to, this then gives a flavour for what the concert would be like. 

I also liked the merch page as then the fans know that this is their official merch and it makes the items a lot more easily accesable. 

Filming Dates

We have settled upon a date to film our music video they are the 16th and 17th of November. We will be filming in multiple locations: our school, black park, Gerrards Cross highstreet and Abbie's house.

Storyboard 3

Storyboard 2

Story board part 1

Here is our first part of our story board. We split the story board up into sections so that everyone had to work on a section.

Making a website

In order to make the website for Mossy we chose to use a website template that we found online. We looked at loads of different website but ended up using Wix.com because we felt it had the best template and a professional finish that allowed us to include everything we wanted to include.

Here is the link: http://www.wix.com

Over all idea for counting stars

Our main idea for Counting Stars is to, at the beginning, have someone who hates his job as it is too bland and monotonous, so he leaves the job to follow his true dream of being a musician. We are going to try and show his transformation from being unhappy and stuck in a rut to being happy and following his dreams through walking, as he is clearly going from one point to another physically and symbolically. At the end of the video we want to show him having achieved this by performing in front of a large crowd.

Behind the Scenes

We found a behind the scenes video for the original Counting Stars music video. I think this is really useful to actually see what a professional director would have done and his logic behind it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gp7nxC1R8ow

Audience Research

Here is a survey I am sending out to get an understanding of what people expect from the pop and indie genre and therefore what we should emulate in our video.

Collage

This is a collage I have made of different shots from different music videos from the pop and indie genre. The reason I have chosen these images is because they all encapsulate the main themes of the videos, the majority show dramatic eye catching images such as katy perry's fireworks and Vampire Weekends shot of a car on fire, even though these shots are quite simple they do grab the audiences attention and so is something we will be looking to replicating in our video. It can also be seen that throughout all the music videos many different locations are used adding interest and mystery to the video as it is constantly changing.

Actors Update

We have chosen Mossy Mckenna to be our actor!

We felt that overall, although we thought that all 3 were very good musicians, he was the best candidate because he has a lot of experience in performing and goes to a stage school. We also liked his presence on stage as he seemed to be very natural and to really enjoy it. He also gave us the opportunity of him doing a cover of the song which we thought may be a good option. As well as this he lives close to us and so allows for more opportunities for filming.

Actors update

Top 3 actors/ musicians:

Sam Mayo: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwfBQXcwl4M

Nick Wilson: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YYOA-QSjLc

Mossy Mckenna: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1XKi-O1hVk

We have contacts with all three which is the biggest bonus but they are also local and we think talented and seem to be willing to be cover songs (particularly Nick and Mossy). We are going to e-mail all three and see if they are interested and decide from there. 

Audience Expectations

Locations

Here are some of the locations that we are thinking of using and how they would fit into the music video.

Counting Stars individual shot idea's 1

-Panning shot of office ending on shot of Mossy at his desk, not looking happy.
-Pile of paper on desk gets bigger, multiple shots of people putting down paper on the pile.
-Shot of his computer where he is recieving lots of emails
- starts tapping foot/pen.
-Computer shot again but recieves angry e-mail from boss.
-camera follows him angrily get up walk out room and slam door, the slam in time with the music) as the camera will be behind him when the door is shut the camera will just keep moving forward closer to the door hopefully achieveng a form of fade out whilst maintaining movement.
- Match on action & fade in so the camera is moving backwards so the shot gets bigger trying to achieve the same thing in the shot before but rather than fading out it is fading in.
- close up shot of him loosening/ taking off tie.
-close up shot of him rolling up sleeve -close up shot of him rolling up other sleeve -goes up a set of outside stairs (perhaps the stair case leading to the chapel)
- walking in to common room
-picks up guitar on sofa and walks out of the room
- still walking with guitar but is in a different location, maybe Black Park
- In time with lyric "I feel this life like a swinging vine, swing my heart across the line" swinging guitar whilst performing.
- on floor tapping foot, closer shot, perhaps more emotional whilst lip syncing song.

Possible Locations

We are thinking of using varying locations in the video to add interest but also the distinctly show him going from one thing that he hates and wants to get away from to a place where he does want to be. The walking throughout the video then we hope will show him emotionally going from one place to another as well as physically.
The places we are considering using are:
-Our school, as it is not only convenient but also we think will provide good spaces for the office, the artists flat and the staircase to the flat. - Gerrards Cross High street, again this is convenient but also as it is a lively high street we think it will be an interesting shot and will be a good transition between the office and flat.
- Black Park, This is a fantastic place to shoot because it is very pretty but also we hope will create a sense of distance so that it is a long journey to get from where he is to where he wants to be. Also because we know that there are small rivers/ponds there that we thought we could use for "Down this river, every turn" and "Hope is a four-letter word" as we were thinking to have a piece of paper that said the word hope on it floating in the water.
-Abbie's house as she has a fire pit which we hope to include in the lines "I feel the love and I feel it burn" and "make that money watch it burn"

we did consider using places like Cliveden and/or Stoke Park, as we thought as they are such grand places they would be good to show a clear devision from where he started to where he would be by the end of the song.

Inspiration/ typical synopsis 4

I think this video is quite unique and involves some relatable locations and scenarios which in itself can grab the audiences attention. I like how the video gives the audience a background and allows them to build up a picture of what his life is meant to be like and then creates a parallel with how it is changing. I think that this is one of the most interesting things that we could perhaps take to use for our video as there is initially a clear link in the slow motion of him going to the microphone and him walking down the stairs and leaving so the audience see the link between the two and maybe see how it was a gradual change which is then emphasised by the performance shots that are then matching the speed of the song which seems to show where he is now and where he wants to be.

Actors

We are currently searching for male actors/musicians to perform as the lead singer, although mainly hoping for some willing musicians as they will have a basis in playing and performing music. The main place we have been looking through is youtube but we also have realised we know a few people who may be willing (particularly Mossy who participates in national competitions). So far, this was who we have found and liked:

Sam Mayo - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSZWGS2Zsl0

Nick Wilson- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueCwuYr_YRA

Ginger Brown- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9T6BejfGtk

Loveable Rogues- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9ain9HBJCM

Mossy Mckenna- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jy8dhCqM4gA&list=PLWHLu_B04sdX0wvMAuh2s-lRDkc4Mdp1P&index=1

Inspiration/ typical synopsis 3

I really like this music video as it succinctly goes through 3 or 4 different locations each containing very different content to the one before. It also contains some really interesting camera shots where the camera even goes up side down, I think these fluid shots allows for the content of the shots to be different whilst still making sense to the audience and adds another interest to the video. As well as this the lighting was very effective as it emphasised the changes that happened in the song and created different tones in the video. Both the shots and lights are definitely something I think we should take on board to use in our video.

I also noticed that he wears different costumes in each shot, each being suitable for the locations and the change in the songs tempo. I thought that this was a subtle element that again added more interest and emphasised the different changes in the song, connecting the visuals with the song.

Possibilities for 'Counting Stars' music video

General message of the song: follow dreams give up money and do what you love “I don’t think the world is sold, I’m just doing what we’re told” “I feel something so right doing the wrong thing” “I could lie” “everything that kills me makes me feel alive”

-After the intro, when he has stop singing, on every beat change to a different location (there are around 4 beats until another instrumental is added)

-On the 5th beat when another instrumental is added go to a shot where actor is in the location we plan to use the most.

-The singer lengthen/places emphasis on the lyrics life, vine, heart, line, signs, find.

-“I see this life like a swinging vine, Swing my heart across the line”- exciting, take a chance so the content in the video could be faster paced (but to flow with the music) showing more fun activities (I.e the bonfire party/ fireworks) rather than the walking

-Flashing signs- literally having flashing signs of different streets or places or of the things he is trying to achieve

-“I could lie, could lie, could lie” maybe go back to shots of the job he hated? on the slow “everything that kills me makes me feel alive” as it builds up film firework going up? Basically just the correspondence between the tune going down and then building back up again into something better.

-If we do repeat shots of previous work it needs to look grey/dull/monotonous- everyone in similar clothes looking miserable.

-Dreaming/Praying/we’ll be..Nothing has happened yet its still all aspirations reaching dreaming trying to achieve. Faith. 

-In the verse starting “I feel the love and I feel it burn” passion, song as a faster pace (?) happier, “down this river every turn” movement, moving forward, progression 

Possibilities for “I don’t think the world is sold” -is it that they aren’t sold on the band or that they aren’t sold on this idealistic view of everyone following the same path/ aiming to make the most money? 

Research-

 ‘Tedder's song ended up being much different than the original, taking on a soulful, gospel sound. "It kept the spirit of what I was looking for the whole time," he said. The track basically wrote itself, and includes some of the frontman's favorite lines from the album, like, "Everything that kills me makes me feel alive." He wrote the chorus — another one of his favorite lines — for anyone who loses sleep wondering how they're going to be able to afford their rent or provide for their family”

“He adds, "Our jobs as musicians is not only to reflect what we think and how we perceive the world, but also to reflect the world. A lot of our fans love EDM right now."
 http://www.arjanwrites.com/arjanwrites/2013/02/interview-ryan-tedder-onerepublic-native.html#m0vxGk23BoDHI6wE.99

“Tedder points out that "Native" spotlights a more raw and authentic vocal delivery”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gp7nxC1R8ow#t=188 - behind the scenes of the official Counting Stars music video